A Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), also referred to as a visitor visa, is an official document issued by a Canadian visa office that is placed in your passport to show that you have met the requirements for admission to Canada as a temporary resident (either as a visitor, a student, or a worker).
What are the requirements you must meet for a TRV?
You must show the officer that you meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and that you will be in Canada for a temporary stay.
You must also:
- satisfy an officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your stay,
- show that you have enough money to maintain yourself and your family members in Canada and to return home,
- not intend to work or study in Canada unless authorized to do so,
- be law abiding and have no record of criminal activity,
- not be a risk to the security of Canada,
- provide any additional document requested by the officer to establish your admissibility, and
- be in good health (complete a medical examination if required).
What if I was previously granted permanent resident status?
If you have ever been granted permanent residence or landed immigrant status in Canada, you may still be a permanent resident. We cannot issue you a TRV if you are a permanent resident.
You may instead want to apply for Travel Document (Permanent Resident Abroad). If you meet the requirements for a travel document, you can return to Canada as a permanent resident.
If you no longer want to be a permanent resident, or if you know you do not meet the requirements to keep your permanent resident status, you can voluntarily give up (renounce) your permanent resident status in order to apply for a TRV.
Voluntary Renunciation of PR status applications must be sent in a separate envelope by mail to the visa office.
We recommend that you apply for Voluntary Renunciation of your PR status first, and apply for your TRV once you receive the approval of your Voluntary Renunciation.
Entry to Canada
Important information: Entry to Canada is a privilege, not a right. You must meet the necessary requirements and you may need a Temporary Resident Visa.
Family members
Your family members include your spouse or common-law partner, your dependent children and any children that are their dependent children.
Spouse
Refers to either of the two persons (opposite or same sex) in a marriage legally recognized in the country in which it took place, as well as in Canada.
Proxy, telephone, fax, internet and similar forms of marriage where one or both parties were not physically present are no longer considered as valid spousal relationships under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
Common-law partner
Refers to a person who is living in a conjugal relationship with another person (opposite or same sex), and has done so continuously for a period of at least one year. A conjugal relationship exists when there is a significant degree of commitment between two people.
This can be shown with evidence that the couple share the same home, support each other financially and emotionally, have children together, or present themselves in public as a couple.
Common-law partners who have been in a conjugal relationship for at least one year but are unable to live together or appear in public together because of legal restrictions in their home country or who have been separated for reasons beyond their control (for example, civil war or armed conflict) may still qualify and should be included on the application.
Dependent children
We assess your child’s eligibility as a dependant based on how old they were at a specific point in time, called the lock-in date. To see if your child qualifies as a dependant, we consider the age of your child on the lock-in date, even though your child’s age may change during processing.
Not sure if your child is a dependant?
Your child or the child of your spouse or common-law partner can be considered a dependent child if that child meets the requirements below on the lock-in date:
- They’re under 22 years old, and
- They don’t have a spouse or common-law partner
Children 22 years old or older qualify as dependants if they meet both of these requirements:
- They have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22, and
- They are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition
With the exception of age, dependants must continue to meet these requirements until we finish processing your application.
If your child’s age was locked in on or before October 23, 2017, a previous definition of dependent children may apply.
Dependent child of a dependent child
Refers to children of dependent children of the applicant and those of the spouse or common-law partner, if applicable.
Do I have to apply separately for my family members?
Family members must complete their own application forms. However, you may submit your applications together online or at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) and use one payment receipt for the total amount.
Your spouse or common-law partner and children must meet all of the requirements for temporary residence in Canada.
Are there medical requirements?
If you plan to visit or study for six months or less:
You usually do not need a medical exam.
If you plan to visit or study for more than six months:
You will need a medical exam if you:
- have lived temporarily for six or more months in a row
- in any of these countries or territories
- in the one year immediately before the date you want to enter Canada. (This applies even if you are a citizen of a country that does not need a visa to enter Canada.)
You and your family members may need a medical exam to come to Canada.
You may either:
- have an upfront medical exam by contacting a Panel Physician; or
- wait until your application is reviewed and medical instructions are given to you by the visa office.
Get the instructions to complete the medical exam.
When medical results are submitted up front, routine cases benefit from faster processing since we do not have to ask for them at a later date. This is done at your own cost and does not influence the final decision on your application. If you have an upfront medical exam, you must submit proof that you completed the medical exam with your application. Failure to do so may result in processing delays.
Are there biometric requirements?
You and your family members may need to appear in person to have your fingerprints and photograph (biometric information) taken at a biometric collection service point.
All family members who need their fingerprints and photograph taken and who are applying together should go to the same biometric collection service point.
Important information
If you’re from one these 29 countries/1 territory and you have a valid visitor visa, or a study or work permit, when you submit an application:
- BEFORE July 31, 2018, you must give your biometrics again (even if you gave them in the past).
- ON or AFTER July 31, 2018, you don’t need to give your biometrics again if they’re still valid.
- Your biometrics will stay valid for 10 years from the date you gave them.
If your country is not part of the 29 countries and 1 territory listed in the link above and you apply for a visitor visa, work or study permit before July 31, 2018, you don’t need to give your biometrics this time.
If you submit an application after July 31, 2018, you must give your biometrics and they will then be valid for 10 years.
If you need to give biometrics, you can give them:
- after you
- submit your application;
- pay your application and biometric fees; and
- get a biometric instruction letter which will direct you to a list of points of service you may choose from;
or
- at the same time as you are submitting your application in person at a Visa Application Centre (VAC).
Can I work or study during my stay in Canada?
Visitors are not allowed to work or study in Canada unless they are authorized to do so under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. In many cases, a work or study permit will be required.
A temporary resident may also take a program of study up to six months duration without having to obtain a study permit.
Information about the parent and grandparent super visa
About the super visa
On November 4, 2011, we announced a temporary pause on all new sponsorship applications for the parents and grandparents category. With the introduction of this pause, we implemented a long-term Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) for applicants seeking to visit their child or grandchild who is either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
The single or multiple-entry super visa allows visitors to stay for a period of up to two years on each entry.
Important information: Applicants who do not require a visa must also submit an application to the visa office.
Who may apply for a super visa?
To apply for the super visa you must either be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
Note: You cannot include your dependent children in this application. Only your spouse or common-law partner is eligible to accompany you under this provision.
What must I do to obtain a super visa?
In order to obtain a super visa, you will need to apply at a visa office and provide:
- a letter of invitation from your child or grandchild residing in Canada. You must also include your host child or host grandchild’s family composition (dependants, including spouse, children or other relatives that are financially dependent on your host child or host grandchild).
- one of the following documents to prove that your child or grandchild meets the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) minimum (a co-signer may be added to meet LICO minimum):
- Most recent copy of the Notice of Assessment. If you do not have a paper copy of your Notice of Assessment on file, you can view (and print) your tax returns as well as other personal tax information using the CRA’s My Account online service.
- Most recent copy of the T4 or T1
- Original letter from employer stating title, job description and salary
- Employment insurance pay stubs
- If self-employed, a letter from an accountant confirming annual income
- Proof of other sources of income (pension statement, investments, etc.)
- evidence of the parent or grandparent relationship to the Canadian citizen or permanent resident you wish to visit (e.g. birth certificate, baptismal certificate or other official documents naming you as parent or grandparent)
- proof that you have private medical insurance valid for a minimum of one year from a Canadian insurance company and that:
- covers health care, hospitalization and repatriation,
- provides a minimum coverage of $100 000, and
- is valid for each entry to Canada and be available for review by a port of entry officer.
You may be required to appear in person to have your biometric fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken at a biometric collection service point.
You will be required to undergo a medical examination.
What must my child or grandchild do to meet the LICO minimum?
You child or grandchild’s income must meet or exceed the minimum necessary cut off, as identified annually in the Income Table.
In the letter of invitation they must calculate their family size. This factor determines the amount of income required to provide care and support for you and your spouse, if applicable. They may use the table below to calculate the family size:
- Your child or grandchild counts:
- Themselves;
- Their spouse or common-law partner;
- Their dependent children;
- any person they may have sponsored previously and for whom the sponsorship agreement and undertaking are still in effect.
- They count the number of persons they will be supporting:
- You, and
- Your spouse or common-law partner, if applicable.
- They add the number of persons covered by steps 1 and 2. The total represents his family size.
- They look at the LICO in the Income Table in this guide to determine if they meet the minimum required for their family size.
- To demonstrate that they meet the minimum income required, your child or grandchild may include one of the documents listed in the Document Checklist (IMM 5484).
If your child or grandchild does not meet the LICO minimum, their spouse or common-law partner can assist by also providing a letter of invitation with one of the documents listed in the Document Checklist (IMM 5484).