Suppose you’re planning to visit Canada, whether you need a visa to enter the country for a short-term visitor or a long-term visit. Most countries worldwide absolutely require visitors to have visas before they can gain access to their borders.
Canada is not an exception to this rule. Canada is especially very strict with its visa processes. So, if you want to apply for a visa to Canada from wherever your home country is, this article would help you with that. Below is a summarised guide of the Canadian visa application process.
Are You Even Eligible For A Visa To Canada?
This is the first and the most important point to consider is if you are eligible for any visa to enter Canada. Fortunately, you can check this easily by visiting their website HERE.
That link will only take you to their Home page. Your target destination is the My Application tab which is located in the Immigration Tab.
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After going from Immigration > My Application, the next tabs under My Application are the different types of visas available. So, you choose the type of visa you want, whether it is for Work, Immigration, Study, Visit, etc.
You should answer the questionnaire that will be presented based on whichever visa you choose. The answers you give in the questionnaire will determine if you fit that particular visa you chose or not.
If you don’t fit that visa, it will match you with another visa you fit or tell you that you are not eligible for any visa. A Reference Code is one of the things that will be sent to your email once you fit a visa. Without a Reference Code, you cannot proceed with a visa application. A set of documents to prepare will also be sent to you.
Next up, create an online account.
The Canadian government is actively digitalizing its visa process and the details of immigrants. So, there is a high probability that you will be asked to apply for the visa online.
The email sent to you after the questionnaire assigns you to a visa will disclose if you should apply in person or online for a visa. If you are applying online, you need to create an account through the Online Banking login or the Government of Canada login key.
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After successfully creating an online account or applying in person, start collecting the required documents.
After creating an account, enter your reference key sent to your email earlier to access your visa information. After the Reference Key has been confirmed, you will be displayed with a list of documents you must prepare. After you have compiled these documents, then you must upload them online into the system.
Pay the necessary fees.
After uploading all the necessary information, the next step is to pay all the necessary fees. The system will first verify that you have submitted all the necessary documents before you are allowed to pay the fees.
Now, the pricing of the fees varies depending on the type of visa in particular. After the fees, your application will then be submitted. If you are applying in person, the documents and the fees will be taken in person to your country’s Canadian embassy.
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Wait for visa processing.
The period of waiting can range from two weeks to many weeks. During processing, you might be asked to provide more documents for an interview or biometrics.
During the processing period, you must check your account regularly because whatever questions the immigration officer has will be asked through your account. You might have to visit your Canadian embassy in person for some processing stages.
If your visa application is successful, submit your passport and processing fees to the Canadian embassy in your country.
The process of visa application is now completed the moment your application is successful. Congratulations. You will now take your processing fees as well as your passport to the Canadian embassy in your home country. This is so that the embassy can stamp your visa on your passport and mail it back to you.
