Temporary Resident Visas
A temporary resident visa (TRV) is also commonly referred to as a visitor or tourist visa. It is an official document issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (Immigration Canada) which authorizes a foreign national to be admitted to Canada on a temporary basis.
Many foreign nationals require a visitor visa to visit or transit through Canada regardless of their mode of transport (e.g. plane, car, train, cruise, etc.). If you are a citizen of one of the following countries and of no other country, you will require a visitor visa to enter Canada:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil (NB: some Brazilian citizens may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements)
- British subjects, subject to control
- Burkina Faso
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon, Republic of
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China, People's Republic of
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo, Democratic Republic of
- Congo, Republic of
- Costa Rica, Republic of
- Cuba
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- East Timor
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Korea, North
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Macao Special Administrative Region
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives Islands
- Mali
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Micronesia, Fed. States
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestinian Authority
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Sao Tomé e Principe
- Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines (St. Vincent)
- Sudan
- Surinam
- Swaziland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
If a foreign national requires a visitor visa to enter Canada, they will be required to apply for the visitor visa at a Canadian visa office abroad before travelling to Canada. A visitor visa may be valid for up to 10 years and it may authorize multiple entries to Canada.
If a foreign national holds a valid visitor visa, it does not guarantee that they will be granted admission to Canada. The foreign national is still required to satisfy the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at a Canadian port-of-entry (e.g. international airport, land crossing, etc.) that they meet all conditions for entry to Canada.
If a foreign national is admitted to Canada, they will be authorized to remain in Canada for up to six months or to the date indicated in writing by the CBSA in their passport, whichever is sooner.