Canada holds a great place among the countries that adorn the dreams of millions of people. Every year, about 50 million tourists travel to this country. With its geography, nature, climate, and large cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, and countless tourist attractions such as Niagara Falls, Canada has become a “hot travel destination” for everyone. Obtaining a Canadian visa may seem difficult, even impossible, for many. However, by following the right procedures and learning about the factors that increase your chances, you can make this seemingly impossible journey possible! In this article, we present to you all the application processes and the nuances that will increase your chances of obtaining a visa.
Canada Visa Types
If you want to travel to Canada for tourism purposes, you must apply for a Canadian tourist visa. The reasons for applying for this type of visa may include temporary reasons such as tourism, visiting family or friends, business trip, medical examination or treatment, short-term study, exchange programs, etc. If you want to study in Canada for more than 6 months (bachelor's, master's, doctoral, etc.) or work permanently, you can apply for a Canadian national visa (residence permit) if you have an official invitation or acceptance letter from an educational or work institution.
Canada Tourist Visa
The Canadian tourist visa is known as a “Visitor Visa”. This visa is multiple-entry and is issued for the same period as the validity of your passport. For example, if you have a passport with a validity of 10 years, the Canadian visa is also issued for 10 years. After obtaining the visa, you can stay in Canada for a maximum of 6 months at a time. Since it is a multiple-entry visa, you have the option to leave the country after 6 months and return again and stay for another 6 months.
Documents Required for Canada Visa Application
When applying for a Canadian visa, you must submit the following documents:
- Original and copy of the first page of your passport
- Copies of previous visas and entry-exit stamps (if applicable)
- Copy of your ID card
- Employment certificate* and salary slip (for students, certificate from the educational institution) Bank account certificate and statement in your name (details on the amount are provided below)
- Document confirming your civil status* (marriage certificate, birth certificates of children or divorce decree)
- 5x4.5 cm photo on a white background
- Airline ticket reservations
- Hotel reservations
- Application forms filled out in English
- Document confirming payment of visa fee
- Official invitation letter if applying for a business trip
- Letter from the Cultural Bureau (if sponsored)
Documents marked with an “*” must be submitted in English. If the documents are in Azerbaijani, they must be notarized and translated into English.
The amount of money you have in your bank account may vary depending on the duration of your trip to Canada, the cost of your chosen flight and hotel reservations, and other factors. In general, it is recommended to have a minimum of 5,000-7,000 AZN in your bank account for a week-long trip, or the equivalent in euros or US dollars. This amount should cover all expenses related to your trip. When calculating expenses, it is advisable to plan for a higher amount, taking into account the cost of tickets and hotels, as well as your average daily expenses in Canada, which are around 70-80 dollars per day.
If you are an entrepreneur, instead of submitting a certificate from your place of work, you can submit the following documents to the embassy: a copy of your TIN, a certificate of turnover from the Ministry of Taxes, and an extract from the register of your company. If you are unemployed, studying, or are presenting another person as a sponsor to cover travel expenses, a copy of that person's ID card, a certificate from your place of work (if you are an entrepreneur, the above documents), a bank account certificate and an extract must be submitted. The bank account can be in both your name and the sponsor's name. If you have family ties with the sponsor, a document confirming this (for example, a birth certificate if it is your parent, or a birth certificate of both of you if it is a sibling, etc.) and a document on sponsorship must also be attached. If a person under the age of 18 is traveling, a written consent document from both parents or one of the parents must also be submitted when applying for a visa.
Please note that when submitting documents such as TIN, certificate from the Ministry of Taxes, extract from the register of your company, sponsorship documents, and permission papers, they must be notarized and translated into English.
Visa Procedure
Applying for a visa to Canada can be done in two different ways: online and paper application.
Online Application
In the online application process, the applicant creates an account on the online portal. Logging in, the applicant selects the type of visa they are applying for, answers the required questions, and then a page with a list of required documents (including application forms) opens. After all documents are uploaded to the system, the application is approved and redirected to a new page for payment. Payment is made online. After that, the applicant receives notifications about the next steps in his account. When the notification is received, the applicant must print it and go to the nearest visa center with his passport and give his fingerprints.
After fingerprinting, the visa process begins. The applicant receives a notification of the result in his account. If the response is negative, the reason for the refusal is indicated. If the response is positive, the original passport is required for affixing the visa sticker. The applicant prints the notification and presents his passport to the visa application center. The center receives the passport and sends it to the Canadian Embassy in Ankara for affixing the visa sticker. This process takes approximately 6-8 business days.
Application on Paper
When applying on paper, the original passport and other required documents are submitted to the visa application center. The center sends these documents to the Canadian Embassy. Application forms are filled out electronically, printed and signed. These forms are also submitted with the documents. At the same time, fingerprints are taken.
The visa fee is paid online and the receipt received after payment is submitted along with the documents.
Once the visa result is known, if the visa has been granted, the passport is returned with the visa sticker. If the decision to refuse is made, the passport is returned with the refusal notice.
In general, the Canadian tourist visa application process takes between 150-210 business days.
Visa fees are as follows: 100 CAD (Canadian dollars) embassy fee, 85 CAD biometrics fee, and 100 AZN visa application center fee. The 100 CAD and 85 CAD fees are paid online, while the 100 AZN fee is paid in cash at the visa center.
Chances of Getting a Canadian Visa
When applying for a visa to Canada, as with embassies in other countries, your chances of getting a visa depend on the status of your profile. Your job and position are normal or good, your monthly income is higher than the average salary (according to experience, it has been possible to get a visa many times for people with a monthly income of 700-800 AZN), you have an amount in your bank account that can fully cover your trip, factors that will create a connection to the country (having property, family and children in your name), and a good travel history are factors that increase your chances of getting a Canadian visa.
If you have no previous travel history, for example, Schengen or other countries, applying for a Canadian visa can be risky. However, if you have a good travel history and have previously obtained visas from countries such as Schengen, the United States, the United Kingdom, this significantly increases your chances of obtaining a Canadian visa. Our experience also shows that having an active US visa gives you a great advantage when applying for a Canadian visa.
Canada Visa Support
We, as Vizam.az, can assist you with your Canadian visa application. Our visa support services include the following:
- Appointment at the visa center on your behalf
- Filling out application forms
- Professional preparation and uploading of your documents into the system
- Booking of flight tickets for your trip
- Booking or purchasing hotels according to your wishes
- Preparing your travel itinerary for visa
- Consultation and monitoring of the visa procedure
At the same time, we can also help with notarized translation and certification of your documents into English. The additional fee for each document will be 16 AZN. Our total service fee is 525 AZN per person.
To place an order or for more information, click here or contact 010/50/55-3000135.
Even though Canada may seem far away, it is very close to you with the right steps! Happy travels!
