Depending on your country of citizenship, a Temporary Resident Visa, or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), is required for temporary residents seeking to come visit Canada temporarily. The visitor visa is often multi-entry and allows you to travel to Canada throughout its validity. They can be issued for up to 10 years.

Eligibility Criteria
You must meet some basic requirements to get a visitor visa:

• have a passport
• be in good health
• have no criminal or immigration-related convictions
• convince an immigration officer that you have ties that will take you back to your home country and that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit
• have enough money for your stay

You may also need a medical exam and letter of invitation from someone who lives in Canada.

Visa Validity
The expiry date on the TRV is the date by which the visa must be used to seek admission into Canada. If the visa is not used on or before that date, it ceases to be valid.

The validity date is NOT the suggested duration of the visit. At the port of entry examination, CBSA officers determine the length of time temporary residents are authorized to stay in Canada.
Typically, when officers are satisfied that the foreign nationals are admissible, entry is granted for a six-month period, unless they hold a Parent and Grandparent Extended Stay Temporary Resident Visa (PG-1 or letter of introduction from the visa office), in which case entry may be granted for a period of up to two years on each entry.

Visitor Record
A visitor record is a status document issued to visa-required or visa-exempt foreign nationals who are seeking to enter or are in Canada. It specifies the conditions and validity period of their temporary stay in Canada. A visitor record may be issued to:

• extend or limit the length of stay of a temporary resident in Canada
• specify conditions applicable to the temporary resident during their stay

A visitor record also defines the conditions of admission, specifies the validity date (or date by which the foreign national must depart Canada), captures other pertinent information about the subject and the purpose for seeking entry to Canada and makes foreign nationals aware of the need for formal authorization before extending their period of stay.

eTA – Electronic Travel Authorization
All visa-exempt foreign nationals travelling to or transiting through Canada by air must apply for an eTA through the electronic system before entering Canada.

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