Hi everyone. My name is Jade Calver. I own and operate Calver & Associates
Canadian immigration services. Today I'm going to talk about how long you can
stay in Canada as a visitor.
So the Immigration Act and its regulations state that visitors are
allowed into Canada for a period of six months at one time. How this actually
works out in reality is a person will fly to Canada - so either on an ETA which
means they're visa-exempt or on a TRV which they've previously applied for
before flying to Canada and then they'll seek to enter Canada so they'll arrive
at the border at the airport or by driving at a land border and they'll
talk to a CBSA officer.
The officer will want to see that they're going to return
home at the end of their stay and that they have enough money to stay in Canada
for their period of stay.
It is important to note that those who hold TRVs so those who applied
for a visa from abroad before entering Canada will often be issued TRVs that
are valid for 5 or 10 years. It's really important to note that even if you hold
a 10 year visa the entry the allowed entry time and stay in Canada is usually
6 months unless the officer tells you otherwise. So if your visa is valid for
10 years that doesn't mean you can stay for 10 years. You can only stay for six
months and then you'll have to leave Canada just like every other Visitor.
Most people will be granted entry to Canada often if an officer doesn't stamp
your passport that means you've been authorized for the full six months. I
always tell my clients to check their entry stamp. Sometimes an officer will
put a stamp in their passport that actually gives them less time. Sometimes
it might be three months or four months rather than the full six months.
Similarly if they're given a visitor record which has an expiry date then you
do have to leave Canada before that date.
It is important that when you enter Canada as a visitor that you're showing
that you're going to leave Canada at the end of your stay. A return flight
especially for first-time visitors is really helpful to show that you're going
to comply with the conditions of your stay especially CBSA officers will look
at your application to enter a little bit more closely if it's your first time
entering Canada. So that return ticket really does help when you're first entering.
If you are wanting to stay for the longer than six months you will have to
extend your stay from within Canada. It's important to note that you will still
have to meet the same requirements so you'll have to show the purpose so why you're
extending your stay and show that you're going to return at the end of your
authorized stay and lastly you'll still have to show that you have enough money
to support yourself while you're here as a visitor.
Remember you cannot work or study while you're here as a visitor so you do
have to show that you have enough money to support yourself without working.
I did want to touch on visitors who hold a Super Visa there is one exemption to
the six month rule. So if you're entering as a visitor but on a Super Visa you are
actually allowed a two year stay as a visitor and so clients were entering on
a Super Visa can request the CBSA officer grants them a two year visitor
visa so that they can stay here for two years with their family.
I hope that I was able to answer all of your questions regarding visitor visas to Canada and
how long you're allowed to stay as a visitor. For any further questions
regarding visitor visas, you can contact us at any time. We're online at Calverimmigrationservices.com