As a Canadian visa is frequently mistaken for a Canadian residence permit, it is necessary to clarify what a Canadian visa is and isn’t before delving into the fundamentals of how to apply for one. A Canadian visa is merely a piece of documentation that authorizes or permits entry into Canada.
In order to travel or immigrate to Canada, you must get a Canadian visa, for which you must apply.
To those nations, however, that do not have eTA agreements with Canada or nations that do not have visa waivers, this is significant.
Your eligibility status and the sort of visa you are seeking are a couple of things to think about before you submit an application.
Steps Involved in Applying for a Canadian Visa
These are the basic steps you need to apply for a Canadian visa.
- Check your eligibility status
- Create an online account
- Compilation of document
- Payment of fees
- Wait for processing
- Submit your passport and processing fee
Check Your Eligibility Status
It was very simple for the Canadian government to determine your eligibility. Filling out an online questionnaire enables this. Depending on the type of visa you want to apply for, different questions may be asked on this form.
Only one of these three answers is possible after completing the quiz.
- You are ineligible for the chosen visa.
- You are qualified for the visa you chose.
- The system would connect you with a different type of visa because you are qualified for it.
Your email address would be required and a number of papers together with a reference code would be supplied to you through email if the system determines that you are qualified for the visa you applied for or the visa with which the system matches you.
The visa’s specifications, guidelines, and information on how to submit your application.
Given that it comprises the details from your questionnaire and the type of visa you applied for, the reference code is a crucial component you should not overlook. As a precaution, it is advisable that you save the email and copy the code to a different location.
Without the reference code, you would have to repeat the questionnaire process all over again.
Create An Online Account
You can determine whether you need to apply in person or online based on the instructions supplied in your email. But since most Canadian records are now digital, opening an online account is usually the best option.
An online account can be created in two different methods. You can either generate a Government of Canada login (GCkey) or use your online banking login. Given that Canada is known to have partnerships with numerous banks, the former is suggested.
Compilation of Documents
The following phase of submitting your application is gathering your document file. You can start your application once you’ve created an account and logged in. Enter your reference code to do this; depending on the type of visa you qualify for, it contains the documents needed for the application. Fill out the following and submit it online. After that, you can submit your application.
Payment of Fees
After compiling and submitting your documents, a payment page would be given to you. You must use your bank information to make payments, therefore the bank information must match the data on the forms you filled out.
Depending on the type of visa you are applying for, a payment fee will apply. Your application will be submitted after you have finished making the payment.
Your application would appear on your account after no more than five working days.
Wait for Processing
The processing of your application would take roughly two weeks after payment and submission. It is crucial to often check your account because any messages regarding your visa application will be visible there.
Regardless of how you submitted your documents, you might be asked for extra paperwork or biometrics; in this case, you would need to physically produce them at the embassy. Either you schedule an appointment or the embassy does it for you.
You would be asked to provide your biometric information as well as a passport photo. Additionally, you would be questioned by an embassy representative. These questions should be addressed with extreme care because they are crucial in determining whether or not you will be given a visa. Either you would be notified right away or later about the outcome of the interview.
Submitting Your Passport and Processing Fee
The next step is to submit your passport and make your processing fee payment once you receive a notification that your visa application was approved. Depending on the type of visa you apply for, there can be different processing fees. You must additionally pay for a passport return envelope.
You must deliver those in person or via mail to the Canadian embassy in your country. The embassy would stamp it if it were sent by mail and send it back to you.
In contrast, if you receive an answer right away following your interview, you must pay the processing cost right away and present your passport for a visa stamp.
You are permitted to travel to Canada after finishing these requirements (plus any additional ones that may be required).
The Canadian airport’s top administrators, though, have the last say. They have the right to refuse you entry into Canada and send you back to your home country if they examine your documentation and discover any irregularities.