If you are in Canada temporarily and wish for an extension of your stay in this wonderful country, you will need a visitor record. When you first entered the borders of Canada, you would have a visitor visa with you. This would have been checked and validated along with your electronic travel authorization, and a travel document such as a passport. If you want to elongate the time period of your stay in Canada, you will have to submit your application for gaining a visitor record. This is different from a visitor visa and Canada Immigration.
It is an official document that will grant you the status of a visitor in Canada. It will grant you permission to stay for a longer duration in the nation. The document has on it an expiration date, which is the date-time when you can now stay in the country.
Who Can Apply For A Visitor Record
If any of the following is true for you, you must submit an application for obtaining a visitor record.
- If you want to gain an extension on your time period of stay in Canada with the status of the visitor.
- If you want to change the type of your permit from that of a student permit or work permit to that of a visitor permit.
You could have entered Canada with a visitor visa, you may have a valid electronic travel authorization and even an up-to-date travel document, but if you wish to stay in Canada for longer than in your permit, you will have to gain a visitor record.
When To Apply
If you have a wish to gain an extension on the original time period of your stay in Canada, or if you wish to change your status in Canada from that of a student or worker to that of a visitor, you should submit an application for a visitor record successful a minimum of 30 days before the expiration of your current status.
The submission of the application form must be completed before your current status reaches its expiry date. If you do not know which is the exact date that your status will expire, you can find out. The visitor record as a document can grant you visitor status in the Canadian nation. This gives you the authorization to continue staying in Canada. But this may not hold if you leave and re-enter Canada.
If you wish to leave the country, when you are entering Canada, you will have to have obtained a valid travel document, and electronic travel authorization as well as a valid visa. If you wish to find the date of expiration of your permitted stay in Canada, here are the places you can look.
- The date of expiry will be visible on the stamp that is on your passport. It is entirely different from the date that is mentioned on your visitor visa.
- The expiry date most commonly calculates to be 6 months after the date of your arrival in Canada.
- That date is also mentioned on your study visa or work visa, depending on your status in Canada.
- In case you have previously applied for a visitor record, it is the date that is mentioned on your visitor record.
How To Apply For A Visitor Record
You are encouraged to consider the online medium for the submission of your application for the visitor record. If you have plans to leave Canada, You will have to fulfill the criteria of entry upon your return.
With an online application, your application is immediately submitted to the concerning authorities for being processed. This means that the procession time of your application is reduced and you will get your record faster. In case that you have submitted a paper application form, you do not need to apply in the online medium again.
Here are the benefits of submitting your application through the online portal.
- You do not incur any charges for parcelling a courier or mail.
- Your application reaches the concerned authorities immediately.
- The processing time of your application will be less
- You will be sure that you have submitted a complete application form.
- Any document that is needed to be submitted with the application can be easily and quickly sent through the online portal.
- You will be sent updates on the processing of your application immediately on your online account.
Here are the steps you can follow to successfully submit a complete application for obtaining a visitor record.
Step 1
Ensure that you have gathered all the documents you need for the completion of the application. Here are some of the things that you may require during the course of your application.
- A scanner camera for the creation of electronic versions of your documents for submission.
- You should also have your credit card or debit card that is valid with you.
Step 2
Give a careful and thorough read to the guide that is given to you with the instructions. It is important that you read the given guide regardless if you are submitting your application online. It contained details about how each field in the application is supposedly needed to be completed. If you are the holder of a Venezuelan passport, there may be instructions on extra steps that you need to take to complete your application.
Step 3
Before completely updating your electronic document copies, you will be asked a few questions. It is better to prepare answers to these questions beforehand. These answers will be used by the authorities to provide you with a personalized checklist of documents that will help you successfully complete the application.
Step 4
The last step is to create your visitor record account on the authorized online portal. You should sign in to the portal if you already have a pre-existing active account. This account will be useful in many ways during the submission and processing of your application.
- You will have to pay the fee for the visitor record through your online account.
- The application will get submitted through this account.
- You can keep a check on the status of your application easily through your online account.
There have recently been changes in the requirements of biometrics. If you are in Canada with the status of a temporary resident and wish to apply for a visitor record, you do not have to submit your biometrics. This is a temporary measure that only applies to you if you are living in Canada, submitting an application for working in Canada to be able to study in Canada.
You are also allowed to submit a paper application but only if you are unable to complete your online application due to a disability or if there is a problem occurring with your online application submission process.
After You Apply
If the time that was mentioned it would take for the processing of your application has already passed, you can contact the authorities in charge with the help of a web form.
If your status expires
If you have submitted your application for gaining an extension on your stay in Canada and done so successfully before the expiration of your stay, you have a legal right to be able to continue staying in Canada until a decision is made upon your application. If this situation occurs, you will retain your original status in Canada.
Travelling Outside Canada
A visitor record will grant you the status of a visitor in Canada. It also mentioned how long you are allowed to be staying in the country. This document however does not guarantee that once you leave Canada, you can re-enter it. If you have plans to travel outside Canada, when you wish to re-enter the country, you will have to meet the requirements for entry.
Visa Required Travellers
You will have to obtain a visitor visa each time you want to enter the borders of Canada. If you are not sure if you need a visa to enter the country, you can ask your immigration consultant. If you want to apply for a visitor visa when you are in Canada, you will be eligible if you meet the following criteria.
- You must be present in Canada.
- You must have a work permit or study permit that is valid.
- You must have plans for leaving and then re-entering Canada.
- The visitor visa you had previously should have expired or must have permission for only one entry into Canada.
Visa Exempt Travellers
What documents you will need when re-entering Canada is dependent on how you will be travelling to Canada. If you are flying to Canada and will reach a Canadian airport, you will need a valid electronic travel authorization. An eTA is valid for 5 years. If your passport is linked to your eTA, then it remains valid till your passport is valid. You will have to make sure that you are travelling with a passport that is linked to the eTA.
