Canada welcomes millions of visitors every year on a visitor visa. If you are planning to come to Canada, you may need a visitor visa unless you are from a visa exempt country. In these cases, you may need an electronic travel authorization.
A visitor visa in Canada is legally known as a temporary resident visa. A visa is a document issued by the Government of Canada which grants permission for you to travel to Canada temporarily. A temporary resident visa can be acquired for one or more of the following reasons:
- tourism
- work
- study
- business
- visiting family, friends, or religious places
An important aspect of the temporary resident visa is that it is a document placed on your passport and allows you to visit Canada. In the end, permission to enter Canada remains with the Canada Border Security Agency (“CBSA”) and it is only when you are granted access to enter Canada that you become a temporary resident of Canada.