Canada Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa)

A visitor visa is an official document that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) puts in your passport. It shows that you met the requirements to travel to Canada as a visitor. You may also need one to transit through a Canadian airport. The legal rules are in Part 9 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), mainly section 179.

The most common misunderstanding is about what the visa allows. The expiry date on the visa is not the date you must leave Canada. The visa only lets you travel here and ask to enter. At the border, an officer of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) checks that you still meet the requirements and decides how long you can stay. Most visitors can stay up to 6 months.

Longest validity, if passport and biometrics allow

10 years

Usual stay per entry

6 months

Fee for single or multiple entry

$100

Biometrics stay valid for temporary residence

10 years

Under IRPR section 179, an officer issues a visitor visa only if satisfied that you meet all of these conditions. IRCC's public pages describe them in plain terms:

• Valid passport or travel documentIRCC advises at least 6 months of validity from your travel date. The visa cannot last longer than your passport.
• You will leave at the end of your stayThe officer must believe you will leave by the end of your authorized stay (IRPR section 179(b)). This is where most refusals happen.
• Ties to your home countryA job, home, financial assets or family that will take you back
• Enough moneyFor your stay and your return. The amount depends on how long you stay and whether you stay in a hotel or with family or friends.
• Good health and no convictionsNo criminal or immigration-related convictions, and a medical exam if one is required
• Not inadmissibleFor example for criminality, security, human rights violations, organized crime, health or financial reasons

Some citizens of visa-required countries, such as Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, can fly to Canada with an eTA if they held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or now hold a valid United States nonimmigrant visa. They still need a visitor visa to arrive by car, bus, train or boat. See the eTA page for the full list.

You do not choose the type of visa, and the fee is the same. IRCC's program delivery instructions list the factors officers weigh when deciding between single and multiple entry and when setting the validity period:

A multiple-entry visa lets you seek entry as often as needed while it is valid. It stays valid in an old, full passport, but you must carry both the old passport and your new valid passport when you travel. Officers may also issue a multiple-entry visa for less than the maximum, for example for a short-term business purpose or when conditions in your country are unstable.

When you apply online, the IRCC Portal gives you a personalized document checklist. Your local visa office may require more. IRCC recommends these supporting documents:

• Passport copyA clear colour copy of the page with your birth date and country, and every page with stamps, visas or markings
• Travel historyCopies of previous passports and visas used in the last 10 years, entry and exit stamps, and study or work permits from other countries
• ItineraryFlight details, proof of accommodation or event registration
• Bank statementsAt least 6 months of account details with balances, showing the bank's name and contact and your name and address
• Employer letterOn letterhead, dated no earlier than 3 months before you apply, with your start date, job description, salary and your manager's contact details
• Letter of invitationFrom the family member, friend or business in Canada, if you have one, with proof of your relationship to a family host

A letter of invitation does not mean a visa will be issued, and it does not make the host legally responsible for you. The host must tell the truth. IRCC suggests the letter give your name, date of birth, address, relationship, the purpose and length of the trip, where you will stay, who pays and when you will leave. The host adds their own name, date of birth, address, job title, status in Canada with a copy of proof, and family details.

It also helps to write your own short letter of explanation. Say why you are travelling, who pays, and what you will return to. Documents that are not in English or French need a translation.

1. 1

   Confirm what you need

   Use IRCC's online questions. The answer depends on your travel document, the country that issued it, your nationality and how you will travel.

2. 2

   Apply online

   Apply in the IRCC Portal. You can apply on paper only if you cannot apply online, for example because of a disability, or if you travel on a refugee, stateless or non-citizen travel document.

3. 3

   Pay the fees when you submit

   Pay the processing fee and, if you are giving biometrics for the first time, the biometrics fee. Not paying the biometrics fee at submission can delay your file.

4. 4

   Give biometrics

   Wait for your biometric instruction letter and book an appointment quickly. You give biometrics once every 10 years for temporary residence, but a visa cannot be valid longer than your biometrics.

5. 5

   Answer any requests

   IRCC may ask for an interview, more documents, a medical exam or a police certificate. An incomplete application may be refused.

6. 6

   Submit your passport

   If approved, you get a letter in your account asking you to submit the same passport you used in the application. You cannot travel until the visa is in it.

7. 7

   Travel and enter

   Carry your documents and any invitation letter in your hand luggage. The officer decides whether to admit you and for how long. Ask for a stamp if you need proof of your entry date.

The family maximums apply only to a spouse or common-law partner and dependent children applying together. Children under 14 and applicants over 79 do not give biometrics. You also do not give biometrics again if you already gave them for a permanent residence application that is still in process. Medical exams, translations and VAC service charges are separate costs.

Processing times depend on the country you apply from and on extra steps such as interviews or medical exams. The live figure below comes from IRCC's processing times tool and does not include the time to give biometrics.

Since July 29, 2025, IRCC sends an officer decision note with most temporary resident refusals, including visitor visas. It explains why the officer refused, though some parts may be removed.

IRCC can also cancel a visa after it is issued, for example if an officer has reasonable grounds to believe you will not leave at the end of your stay, or if you are later refused an eTA, work permit, study permit or another visa (IRPR section 180.1).

• Check the stamp in your passport or your visitor record at entry. That date, not the visa expiry date, is when you must leave. With no stamp, you can stay 6 months from entry, or until your passport or biometrics expire if earlier.
• Visitors cannot work without authorization. You may take a course of 6 months or less that ends within your authorized stay (IRPR section 188).
• To stay longer, apply for a visitor record before your status expires, ideally at least 30 days before.
• After a trip only to the United States or Saint Pierre and Miquelon, you can usually return within your authorized stay without a new visa. Travel anywhere else needs a valid visa to come back.
• If you lose the passport that holds your visa, the visa is cancelled and you must apply again (IRPR section 180.2).