Canada: you need to apply for a visa to travel, apply online or at the visa application center

America

To travel to Canada in 2019, Russians need a visa, the documentation for which is submitted via the Internet or official visa centers. Opening a visa to Canada is comparable in difficulty to. Moreover, the presence of an American visa does not give any benefits and does not allow visiting Canada: these are different states and separate visas are needed.

An impressive list of paperwork, a waiting period stretched for months and a more than likely refusal - you will have to go through a difficult path to obtain a Canadian visa. A nice bonus - the Embassy has recently issued multiple entry visas that allow you to visit Canada an unlimited number of times.

Types of Canadian visas

The Canadian Mission issues non-immigrant and immigrant visas. The former involve short visits to the country, the latter are associated with long-term residence in Canada and are most often opened for work or study. In turn, non-immigrant visas are:

Tourist;
Guest;
business;
educational;
workers;
transit.

It is quite difficult to open a visa of any type. The current migration rules of this country are quite severe, and the Canadian Embassy conducts a thorough check of each application to exclude situations when a foreigner decides not to return to his homeland.

Tourist visa

Let's take a closer look at the tourist visa. It can be issued for both single and multiple visits to the state. The maximum period of residence under such a permit may not exceed 6 months.

It is necessary to prepare a fairly extensive list of documentation. To open a tourist visa you will need:

All documents must be in one of the official languages of Canada or have a certified translation.

Most users have difficulty opening the profile in the browser. We recommend installing a new version of Adobe Reader and saving the pdf file with the questionnaire to your computer. Then run the program and manually open the saved file.

For students

Students provide a student card or a certificate from an educational institution, a sponsorship letter from mom or dad. The letter is accompanied by documentation of the material well-being of the parent who acts as a sponsor, and a copy of his passport.

For a private visit

A visitor visa is opened for visiting relatives or friends, its validity period is usually limited to the dates indicated in the invitation letter. To obtain it, in addition to the main list of documentation, you will need an invitation from a citizen or resident of Canada indicating the time frame, the purpose of the trip and all the data of both parties, including the degree of relationship. And in the case of a friendly visit, information is provided on the relationship between the parties. Additionally, a copy of the identity document of the inviting party is attached.

For a business visit

If a business visit is planned, then the main list of documents is prepared, but in addition to hotel reservations, the following are provided:

An invitation letter from a Canadian organization on company letterhead with contact information, date and purpose of travel;
A copy of the registration documentation of the Canadian organization;
Travel program or other documentation confirming the purpose of the trip (copies of contracts, business correspondence, and so on).

For work

A work visa is opened at the invitation of the employer and requires the existence of a concluded employment contract. The following documents are attached to the application:

Diplomas of education, certificates of completion of additional courses, advanced training, and so on;
References from previous jobs;
Certificate of medical examination in Canada;
Evidence of wealth.

For pensioners

Persons of retirement age provide a pension certificate and a sponsorship letter from a relative, as well as confirmation of his financial well-being and a copy of his passport.

Transit

For transit crossing the country you need to open a visa. For this, the same package of documentation is prepared as for a tourist visa. Additionally, tickets and entry documents to the states of destination are attached. If a transit stop is expected for up to two days, then a visa is not issued.

For kids

All minors, without exception, travel on their own passports. Applications for a child visa are not considered if the minor is included in the passport of the father or mother. If a child travels to Canada with only one parent, then the remaining consent to leave the Russian Federation. The same paperwork will be required if the minor is traveling with a third party, such as a grandmother.

If a child goes to Canada without mom and dad, then it is issued. In this document, the parents trust the Canadian resident to look after the child. The paper is notarized and signed by both parents. Additionally, a signed Canadian is issued, who assumes the obligation to look after the child throughout the entire time of his residence in the country.

Applying online

Application can be submitted online cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/mycic.asp). To do this, perform the following sequence of steps:

Applying through the visa application center

The official Canada Visa Application Center (VC) in Russia is VFS Global ( vfsglobal.ca/Canada/Russia/). Offices are located in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. Applications are accepted from 09.00 to 16.00. A full package of documentation and a valid passport are provided. The form is also signed. These documents are required to be provided both for personal transfer and for sending papers by courier service.

It is allowed to send documentation by courier mail, subject to prepayment of all fees and return delivery of the passport. (Details for making a payment are provided at the link: vfsglobal.ca/Canada/Russia/how_to_apply.html). Documentation shipping costs 30.03 CAD.

If the papers are transmitted by courier, then it is additionally necessary to print in duplicate, fill out and sign and. You can receive ready-made documents both independently (through an authorized representative) at the office of the visa center, and by ordering a return courier delivery, the cost of which is 15.84 CAD.

Sending papers is made to the address: 127018, Moscow, Sushchevsky Val St., 31/1. After receiving the documentation, you can track the status of the application at the link: vfsglobal.ca/Canada/Russia/track_your_application.html

The application can be submitted up to 6 months before the date of the proposed trip. The deadline for consideration is 27 days, not counting the time it takes to send the papers. In some cases, a foreigner may be called for an interview, of which he must be notified at least 5 days in advance.

Visa cost

The visa fee is 100 CAD. When visiting the EC, an additional service fee is paid in the amount of 33.3 CAD per application. Minors are charged the full amount.

Valid term of a visa

Recently, the representation of Canada opens multi-visas for 5 or 10 years with the possibility of entering the country an unlimited number of times. Single-entry visas are still issued for up to six months. In each individual situation, the period for which an entry document is opened depends on a number of circumstances:

From the decision made by the border guard when entering the state. The border guard puts a stamp in the passport indicating the maximum time spent in the country;
From the terms specified in the invitation letter, or in the hotel reservation.