Citizens from certain countries may need a visa to enter Canada. Foreign nationals from specified countries require an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to enter Canada and don’t require the Temporary Resident Visa.
Canada has a Temporary Resident Visa program which allows you to enter Canada legally for business or tourism purposes. If you are a citizen of another specified country and want to visit Canada, you may need to apply for the Temporary Resident Visa.
It is important to note that the Temporary Resident Visa is not a work permit visa. If a foreign national has a Temporary Resident Visa, it does not entitle them to work in Canada. It simply allows a foreign national to enter Canada as a tourist.
Alternatively, a work permit allows a foreign national to enter and stay in Canada for employment purposes. Citizens of some countries may require Temporary Resident Visa as well along with the work permit. When a foreign national enters Canada on the Temporary Resident Visa and then seeks employment, they will need a work permit from the respective authorities like the Canadian Consulate or the High Commission.
Types of Temporary Resident Visas
- Single Entry Visa – This type of Temporary Resident Visa allows for one single entry into Canada for the foreign national
- Multiple Entry Visa – This type of Temporary Resident Visa enables the foreign national to enter Canada any number of times during the Visa validity period
- Transit Visa – This type of Temporary Resident Visa is for foreign nationals who need to enter Canada for less than forty-eight hours (48) and are simply making a stop in Canada before travelling further to another country.
Who Is Exempt From Obtaining A Temporary Resident Visa
Many foreign nationals are exempt from obtaining the Temporary Resident Visa:
- British citizens, and citizens of British dependent territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena or the Turks and Caicos Islands. Their citizenship should be derived from either birth, descent, registration or naturalization in the above places
- Persons with a valid Special Administrative Region passport issued by the Government of Hong Kong
- Citizens of specific countries
- Persons holding the permanent residence for the United States
- Persons with travel documents and passports issued by the Holy See.
Who Needs A Medical Examination
A medical examination is needed for citizens of certain countries who resided in those specified countries within one year of arriving in Canada and are visiting Canada for more than six months. Once this condition is satisfied, they can be granted the Temporary Resident Visa.
