Temporary visa / Super visa programs

A visitor is a temporary resident who has been authorized to enter and remain in Canada for a limited period of time.

The 3 most common Temporary visas are as follows:

1. Temporary Resident Visa (TRV): This is also known as the tourist visa. Tourists who wish to explore the beauty and diversity of Canada may apply for a TRV prior to their trip to Canada. Upon landing, the visa officer usually authorizes a stay of up to 6 months maximum per visit. This, of course, can be extended during the course of time if needed.

Requirements:

• Prove ties to their home country and have valid travel documentation
• Show financial resources to support their trip to Canada
• Criminally and medically admissible to Canada (depends on country of origin)
• Have a travel plan if purpose of visit is tourism or a letter of invitation if visiting friends / family

2. Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): This is an entry requirement for visa-exempt foreign nationals travelling to Canada by air. You do not need an eTA if travelling by land or sea. Your eTA is electronically linked to your passport.

If you are a citizen of one of the countries listed below you will NOT need a TRV. However, you will need an eTA to be able to board the plan to Canada.

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, British citizen, British National (Overseas), British overseas citizen (re-admissible to the United Kingdom), British overseas territory citizen with citizenship through birth, descent, naturalization or registration in one of the British overseas territories of: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Island, Saint Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Subject with a right of abode in the United Kingdom, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, must have a passport issued by Hong Kong SAR., Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, must have a national Israeli passport, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia , Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, must have an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes the personal identification number, United States, lawful permanent resident of Vatican City State, must have a passport or travel document issued by the Vatican.

3. Parent and grandparent super visa: As the Parent/Grandparent sponsorship program is currently very limited, the Canadian government has introduced the “Supervisa” in order to allow parents and grandparents to visit their family for a longer duration in Canada. This visa authorises people to stay in Canada for 2 years at a time. 

Requirements: 

Apart from meeting all the TRV requirements

• The inviter (child / grandchild) must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Proof of medical exam of the applicant(s)
• Purchase of medical insurance coverage for at least one year for the applicant(s)
• The inviter must meet the financial requirements based on the number of family members in the household