Your Travel Visa

Do I need a travel visa?

Most foreign nationals need a temporary resident visa (TRV) or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to travel to Canada.

FIND OUT IF YOU NEED A TRV OR ETA

How to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)

  1. Use the online form on the Government of Canada website to apply for your eTA.
  2. Pay the appropriate fee.
  3. Receive an email from IRCC about your eTA application.
  4. If there are any issues with your application, you will receive an email from IRCC requesting additional information.

Support

Refer to the guides in the ‘Help with the form or other eTA questions’ drop down for information on how to complete your eTA application.

For further assistance, use the eTA Help Guide, or see the Help Centre.

How to apply for a temporary resident visa (TRV)

Apply for your visitor visa through the IRCC Portal.

When asked “why you need a visa”, select: ‘For business reasons, like a meeting, conference,
event, or training’

IMPORTANT: Tag your application with the Special Event Code provided in your visa invitation letter from International ACAC. In the ‘Special event information’ section, you are asked if we gave your organization or conference a special event code. Select ‘Yes’ and then enter the special event code into the open text field.

Biometrics

If you are required to complete biometrics you will be issued a Biometrics Instructions Letter (BIL). Please schedule your appointment as soon as you receive your BIL.

You must complete your biometrics before IRCC can start to process your application.

For information on whether or not you must provide biometrics, refer to the IRCC fast facts about Biometrics.

Passport

Check your application status online.

If your visa application is approved you will receive a letter instructing you to submit your passport to the closest Visa Application Centre (VAC) through mail or courier.

Note you will not be able to enter Canada without having your visa affixed to your passport.

Processing Times

The processing times for visa applications posted online are historical, meaning they're measured based on how long it took to process 80% of applications in the past 6-8 weeks. As a result, processing times maybe different than those posted online at the time of application submission.

You are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible ahead of your departure date in order to allow sufficient time for your application to be processed and, if approved, subsequent visa issuance in your passport.

Support

Refer to the guide for information on how to complete your application. For further assistance, see the Help Centre or complete the web form.

Paper Application

You are invited to submit a paper application only if you meet one of the following criteria:

  • You cannot apply online because of a disability.
  • You are travelling with an identity or travel document that was issued to a refugee, a stateless
    person, or a non-citizen.

Read the instruction guide for details on how to apply by paper.

Select your country/territory from the drop down menu for instructions on how to prepare and submit your application to your local visa office.