Canada’s visitor visa has four types:
I will briefly discuss each type of visitor visa in the following topics:
Single Entry Visa (S.E.V):
This visa allows you to enter Canada only once. However, if you visit the USA or St. Pierre et Miquelon within your authorized period of stay, you can re-enter without applying for a new visa. This visa is issued in limited circumstances when your purpose of the visit is limited to one instance, for example, an official visit by a foreign national, attending a one-time special event, or if the Canadian government has any specific procedures or guidelines in place for your country.
Multiple Entry Visa (M.E.V)
This visa allows you to enter Canada as many times as necessary during your visa’s validity period. This type of visa is usually issued for 10 years or up to the expiry of your passport minus 1 month. This is a standard visa unless there is a specific reason for the officer to issue you a single-entry visa.
Transit Visa
Some foreign nationals will need a transit visa who are going through Canada to another country, without stopping in or visiting Canada. If you need a visitor visa to enter Canada, you will need a transit visa if you are going through Canada. This visa is issued free of charge.
Who is eligible for a visitor visa?
You must meet some basic requirements to get a visitor visa.
You must:
Please note that some people are inadmissible to Canada, meaning, regardless of their documentation and valid reasons for visiting the country they are not allowed to enter Canada. You can be inadmissible for several reasons, including being involved in:
What is a Super Visa?
This is a multiple-entry temporary resident visa issued to parents and grandparents of a Canadian permanent resident or citizen. Currently, a Super visa is issued for ten years, multiple entries and with an authorized stay of up to 5 years on each entry. The 5 years authorized stay can be further extended from inside Canada by additional 2 years at a time.
Understand your visa codes:
This is a long list of all the visa codes you may find on your visa counterfoil.
B-1: is issued for Business Visitor
C-1: is issued for Courtesy
D-1: is issued for Diplomat
F-1: is issued for Facilitation Visa
IM-1: is issued for Immigrants (single-entry visa for PR)
0-1: i is issued for Official
P A-1: is issued for Permit Holder
PAX-1: is issued for National Interest TRP
PC-1: is issued for Permit Holder with Valid TRP
PG-1: is issued for Parents or Grandparents Super Visa
R-1: is issued for Passed-Residency Obligation
RA-1: is issued for Presence at Appeal
RC-1: is issued for Passed H&C – PR Travel Document
RX-1: is issued for Attending a PR hearing.
S-1: is issued for A student with Study Permit
SW-1: is issued for An international student with Study & Work Permit
SX-1: is issued for study permit-exempt students.
V-1: is issued for Visitor
VH-1: is issued for Visitors in Transit for not more than 48 hours
W-1: is issued for a worker with Work Permit
WX-1: is issued for Work permit-exempt workers
Canada's immigration system is based on three pillars, each pillar includes multiple classes, and each class includes multiple programs. These three pillars include Temporary Residence, Permanent Residence, and Citizenship. This website contains all of these programs in various places, however, the followings are a few programs that we have selected for your ease of access.