Immigration Programs
Visiting Canada: Visitor Visa, eTA or Super Visa
Three different documents, and which one you need depends on your citizenship, how you plan to arrive, and why you are coming. Get that decision right first — the most expensive mistakes here are made before anyone fills in a form.
Which one do you need?
Start with your citizenship, because it decides everything else. The official visa-requirement list on canada.ca is the only reliable source and it does change — Canada has reimposed visa requirements on a national group as recently as 2024.
Visitor Visa (TRV)
Citizens of visa-required countries
A temporary resident visa placed in your passport. Required for most nationalities, and required for anyone arriving by land or sea regardless of what else they hold.
CAD 100 + CAD 85 biometrics
Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA)
Citizens of visa-exempt countries, flying only
An electronic authorisation linked to your passport. Air travel only — it does not cover arrival by land or sea. Some nationalities qualify only under narrower conditions.
CAD 7
Super Visa
Parents and grandparents of citizens or permanent residents
A long-stay visitor visa allowing up to five years per visit. Requires private medical insurance and that your host meets an income threshold.
CAD 100 + CAD 85 biometrics
Two rules that catch people out. An eTA covers air travel only — arriving by land or sea generally requires a visa regardless. And some nationalities fall into a middle category, eligible for an eTA only under narrower conditions rather than simply being visa-exempt or visa-required.
The visitor visa in practice
A temporary resident visa is the document most applicants mean when they search for a Canadian visa. Here is what it actually involves.
What it costs
CAD 100 per person for the visa, plus CAD 85 for biometrics if you have not given them in the last ten years — roughly CAD 185 per adult. The visa fee is capped at CAD 500 for five or more people applying together, and biometrics at CAD 170 for a family of two or more. Fees are generally not refunded if your application is refused.
Biometrics and visa application centres
Biometrics are generally required for applicants aged 14 to 79. You do not book the appointment first — you apply, receive a Biometric Instruction Letter, and then book at a visa application centre. Once given, biometrics are valid for ten years, so a second application within that period usually costs only the visa fee.
Single or multiple entry
Most visitor visas are issued as multiple-entry and can be valid for up to ten years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. The visa governs travel to Canada; the officer at the port of entry decides how long you may stay, normally up to six months.
The super visa, for parents and grandparents
A super visa lets the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident stay for up to five years per visit, rather than the six months a normal visitor gets. It matters more than it used to, because the Parents and Grandparents Program is not currently accepting new sponsorship applications — for many families the super visa is the only route available right now.
Medical insurance is mandatory
Coverage of at least CAD 100,000 for emergency care, covering health care, hospitalisation and repatriation, valid for at least one year from your date of entry, and in force on each and every entry to Canada.
It must be paid in full, or you must show proof of a payment schedule. Policies may come from a Canadian insurer or from a foreign insurer authorised by OSFI, Canada's financial regulator — a useful widening, since buying abroad is often cheaper.
The income requirement — and a live conflict
Your host in Canada must meet an income threshold based on the low-income cut-off for their family size, plus a margin. Beyond that, the sources genuinely disagree, and we are not going to guess.
Some describe the threshold as the minimum necessary income plus 30 percent, assessed across the three preceding tax years. Others report changes in March 2026 allowing the host to qualify on either of their two most recent tax years, and an option to combine a reduced host income with the parent's own income. We could not confirm either reading against an official source. Check the current income table and rule on canada.ca before you apply — this is the requirement most likely to decide your application.
Why visitor applications get refused
This is the part most guides skip, and it is the part that decides your application. A visitor visa officer is answering one question: are you likely to leave Canada at the end of your authorised stay? Everything you submit either answers that or does not.
- Insufficient evidence that you will leave at the end of your authorised stay — the single most common ground, and the one applicants address least.
- Weak ties to your home country: no stable employment, studies, property or family commitments that explain why you would return.
- Funds that do not credibly cover the trip, or large recent deposits that appear arranged for the application.
- A purpose of travel that is vague, or inconsistent with the itinerary, invitation or length of stay requested.
- Travel history that does not support the application, or a previous overstay or refusal that has not been addressed.
- An invitation letter treated as proof of the visit while the underlying evidence is missing.
Note what is not on that list: wanting to immigrate. Canada recognises dual intent, so a pending permanent residence application is not itself a bar. What sinks applications is failing to evidence the temporary purpose, not having long-term ambitions.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa or an eTA?
It depends on your citizenship, and the official list on canada.ca is the only reliable answer — it changes. Two rules catch people out. First, an eTA covers air travel only: if you arrive by land or sea, you generally need a visa even if an eTA would otherwise be available to you. Second, some nationalities sit in a middle category, qualifying for an eTA only under narrower conditions — Mexican citizens, for example, have needed a visa since 29 February 2024 unless they are flying and hold either a valid United States non-immigrant visa or a Canadian visitor visa issued within the past ten years.
Can I apply to visit while my permanent residence application is pending?
Yes. Canadian law recognises dual intent — holding a genuine temporary purpose while also intending to immigrate does not by itself disqualify you from a visitor visa. But the visitor application is still assessed on its own terms, including whether you would leave at the end of your authorised stay. Be straightforward about the pending application rather than omitting it: inconsistency between your applications causes far more problems than the pending application itself.
How long does a visitor visa take?
We do not publish a number here, because processing times differ enormously by country and the figures circulating in guides conflict with one another — we found reported times ranging from under three weeks to several months for different application types and locations. IRCC publishes current times by country and application type, and that tool is the only figure worth planning around.
Can I extend my stay once I am in Canada?
Yes, by applying for a visitor record before your authorised stay expires, at CAD 100 per person. A visitor record extends your status in Canada; it is not a visa and does not let you re-enter if you leave. Apply well before your status expires rather than close to it.
Does a super visa let my parents work in Canada?
No. A super visa is a visitor status. It permits long stays, but not work, and not study beyond what a visitor may do. If your parents' goal is to settle permanently, note that the Parents and Grandparents Program is not currently accepting new sponsorship applications, which is why many families use a super visa in the meantime.
A note on accuracy
Fees, visa requirements and the super visa income rule all change, and two points on this page are genuinely unsettled rather than simply uncertain: the super visa income threshold, where sources differ on both the margin and the number of tax years assessed, and processing times, where reported figures conflict badly enough that we publish none. Visa requirements by nationality changed as recently as 29 February 2024 for Mexican citizens. Verify fees, your own visa requirement and current processing times on canada.ca before acting.
This is general information, not legal advice. Whether you qualify and how best to present your application require individual assessment by a licensed representative — Mila Lugovska, RCIC R515234, member in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. Consultations are held in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Ukrainian.
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