Visa Information

(The following information and additional information can be found at the Website http://www.cic.gc.ca/English/visit/index.asp)

Countries and territories whose citizens require visas in order to enter Canada as visitors

Citizens of the following countries and territories require a Visa to visit or transit Canada:

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Argentina Armenia Azerbaijan	Bahrain Bangladesh Belarus Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia-Herzegovina Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi	Cambodia Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Rep. Chad Chile China, People’s Rep. of Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Rep. of the Congo, Rep. of the Costa Rica Croatia Cuba	Djibouti Dominica Dominican Rep.
East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia	Fiji	Gabon Gambia Georgia Ghana Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana	Haiti Honduras
India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel (only Israeli citizens holding valid Israeli “Travel Document in lieu of National Passport”) Ivory Coast	Jamaica Jordan	Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Kuwait Kyrgyzstan	Laos Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya
Macao S.A.R. Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Islands Mali Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Micronesia Moldova Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar (Burma)	Nauru Nepal Nicaragua Niger Nigeria	Oman	Pakistan Palau Palestinian Authority Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines
Qatar	Romania Russia Rwanda	Sao Tomé e Principe Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sri Lanka Sudan Surinam Syria	Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu
Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay Uzbekistan	Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam	Yemen	Zambia Zimbabwe

Visitor Visa Exemptions

Many people do not require a visa to visit Canada.  These include:

• Citizens of Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel (National Passport holders only, Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia (Republic of), Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States, and Western Samoa;
• Persons lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who are in possession of their alien registration card (Green card) or can provide other evidence of permanent residence;
• British citizens and British Overseas Citizens who are re-admissible to the United Kingdom;
• Citizens of British dependent territories who derive their citizenship through birth, descent, registration or naturalization in one of the British dependent territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena or the Turks and Caicos Islands;
• Persons holding a British National (Overseas) Passport issued by the Government of the United Kingdom to persons born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong;
• Persons holding a valid and subsisting Special Administrative Region passport issued by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China;
• Persons holding passports or travel documents issued by the Holy See.

How to apply for your Temporary Resident Visa

1. Obtain a Temporary Resident Visa application kit.

Contact the Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate responsible for your area to have the application mailed to you.

2. Read the guide.

Read the guide carefully before you complete the application form.  The fee for processing your form is not refundable, so make sure you are eligible to get a Temporary Resident Visa before you apply.

3. Complete the application form and attach the necessary documents.

The application form contains instructions.  Read the instructions and be sure to provide the required documents.  If you do not provide all the requested information or documents, your application may be delayed.

You can use the same application form for your spouse or common-law partner and for dependent children under 18 if they will be traveling with you.

All required documents must be included with your application:

• You must have a valid travel document (such as a passport) for each family member on the application.
• Two recent passport photos of each family member are required.  Make sure these photos meet the requirements.  For more information on specifications for photographs, visit the Web site http://www.cic.gc.ca/English/visit/index.asp.
• Enclose the application fee and the IMM 5401 receipt of payment.  Your fee will not be refunded, even if your application is not accepted.
• You must provide proof that you have enough money for your visit to Canada.  The amount of money may vary, depending on the circumstances for your visit, how long you will stay and whether you will stay in a hotel, or with friends or relatives.  You can get more information from the Canadian visa office in your country or region.
• You may need to include other documents.  These documents could be identification cards, proof of employment, a letter of invitation from relatives or friends in Canada, or a proposed itinerary.  Check the website of the visa office responsible for the country or region where you live for more information.

4. Pay the fee and get the necessary receipt.

The fee per person is $75 for a single entry visa, $150 for a multiple entry visa or $400 for a family (multiple or single entry).

Check the website of the visa office responsible for the country or region where you live for more information on fees, including how to pay them.

5. Mail the application form and necessary documents.

When you have completed the application form, make sure you sign and date it, and that all required documents and fees are included in the envelope.  In most countries, application fees must be paid in Canadian dollars.  You must send your application to the Canadian visa office in the country or region where you live.  Check the guide in your application kit for instructions.

Processing time

How long it takes to process your application varies depending on the visa office where you applied.

An interview with a visa officer

You may need to go for an interview with a visa officer.

A medical examination

You might need a medical examination to be allowed to enter Canada.  If you do, a Canadian immigration officer will tell you and will send you instructions about what to do.  A medical examination can add more than three months to the processing time of your application.

Using a representative

You do not need a representative to help you apply to visit or immigrate to Canada.  Whether you use a representative is a personal choice.

Letter of invitation for countries whose citizens require a Temporary Resident Visa to enter Canada

(This is not a legal document.  For legal information, consult the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its Regulations.)

Sometimes a person applying for a Temporary Resident Visa to visit Canada is asked to provide a letter of invitation from someone in Canada.

A letter of invitation does not guarantee that a visa will be issued.  Visa officers assess the applicant to determine whether they meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Note:  The following information is only a guide.  Some visa offices may require that your letter be notarized by a Notary Public.

The letter (notarized if necessary) must be submitted to the Canadian Embassy or Consulate outside of Canada when applying for the Temporary Resident Visa.  It must include the following information about the person being invited:

• Complete name
• Date of birth
• The person's address and telephone number
• Relationship with the person writing the letter of invitation
• The purpose of the trip
• How long the visitor intends to stay in Canada
• Details on accommodation and living expenses
• The date you are leaving Canada.

The letter of invitation must also include the following information about the person writing the invitation:

• Complete name
• Date of birth
• Address and telephone number in Canada
• Occupation
• Whether he/she is a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident
• A photocopy of a document proving his/her status in Canada.  For instance, a Canadian birth certificate if born in Canada or a Canadian citizenship card if a naturalized citizen.  If the person writing the invitation is a Permanent Resident, a proof of the permanent resident status must be sent ( a copy of the PR card or his/her IMM 1000 proof of landing).