Canadian Business Visitor Visa
An economically rich and growing economy, Canada presents a host of investment and business opportunities to entrepreneurs and investors all across the world. But, to explore investment options, merchandising opportunities, interact with Canadian business counterparts and participate in trade seminars, foreign nationals must obtain a Business Visitor Visa to Canada.
Individuals are considered for a business visitor visa if they are planning to pay a visit Canada for a short duration to: –
- explore opportunities to grow their trading activities,
- invest in a Canadian business, or
- advance trade and commerce relationships in the country.
As a business visitor, individuals must demonstrate that :-
- they plan to travel to the Canadian nation for a period less than six months,
- they have no intentions of entering the Canadian labor market,
- their main workplace, and source of income lies outside the geographical boundaries of Canada,
- they have documents to support their tourist visitor visa application
- they duly meet Canada’s basic entry requirements, i.e.
- they have a valid travel document, such as a passport,
- they have enough funds to support their stay and return journey,
- they plan to leave Canada at the end of their visit, and
- they do not have a security, criminal or health risk to Canadian residents.
Cross-border business
Cross – border business activities that can be undertaken with a business visitor visa include:-
- purchasing Canadian goods and/or services for an international government or business,
- going for procuring orders for goods and/or services,
- going for conferences, meetings, conventions or for trade fairs
- giving for the purpose of managing after-sales service,
- going as a trainee at a parent company nestled in Canada that the visitor work’s for in his/her native nation,
- giving training to employees of a branch located in Canada, or
- attending training session at a Canadian company that has sold equipment or services to the visitor.
Apply to Travel
In order to apply for a Business Visitor visa, an individual needs to apply for an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) or a visitor visa to travel to Canada. Find out if you need an eTA or a visa.
If an individual needs an eTA to travel to Canada, he/she must:
- obtain the travel document when he/she plans to visit Canada. Try and not apply at the last moment.
- travel to Canada with the same passport used for obtaining an eTA.
If an individual needs a visitor visa to visit the Canadian nation, he/she must send certain documents with his/her application to the immigration office. These may include:
- an invitation letter from the potential business partner in Canada, and
- 24-hour contact details.
Individuals may also need identification proofs or cards which can verify that they are employed to travel to Canada.
Note: As per the North American Free Trade Agreement, a U.S. or Mexican national can also participate in other activities such as marketing, research and general services.
Admissibility to Canada
Once an individual submits his/her application for visa, the immigration office will review it and ensure it complete and has all the relevant documents attached. If the application is complete, individuals may be asked to:-
- none for a medical examination to prove that they are in good health to travel to Canada
- obtain a policy certificate stating that they do not have any criminal records
- none for an interview at the Canadian immigration office.
On the other hand, in case an application is rejected, the applicant will be duly informed by the immigration officials along with the reason for refusal of the visa application. While there is no formal appeal process, individuals can apply again for a visitor visa to travel to the Canadian nation.
Q1. What is a Canada Immigration Visa?
It is a document that permits a person to work and live in one of the Canadian province or territory. It comes with several responsibilities and may be revoked in case the holder does not obey the Canadian residency obligations or is found guilty of conducting criminal activities in the country.
Q2. When can I obtain citizenship of Canada?
The Canadian Citizenship can typically be obtained after a period of three years of Permanent residence in Canada.
Q3. What is a Canadian Permanent Resident Card?
A Canadian Permanent Resident Card is a small, secured plastic card which contains the cardholder’s personal details and confirms the holder’s status as a Permanent Resident of Canada.
Q4. Is dual citizenship recognized in Canada?
Yes. Since 1977, the Canadian country has permitted its citizens to hold multiple or dual citizenship. This means that a citizen of Canada will not lose his/her Canadian citizenship in case he/she retains his/her native nation’s citizenship.
Q5. What is the Canadian Experience Class Program?
The Canadian Experience Class Program is an immigration category that permits temporary international workers to work in the country with a Permanent Resident Visa of Canada.
Q6. What is a Provincial Nominee program?
- The Provincial Nominee program was instituted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to permit different provinces and territories of Canada to select individuals who have required skills and experience for filling in the position of work which cannot be done by existing workforce in Canada and further contribute to the economic development of the country. Most territories and provinces within the country take part in the Provincial Nominee programs.
Q7. Can an individual apply for a Temporary Work Permit and a Canada Immigration Visa?
Yes. An individual can apply only for a Temporary Work Permit or in combination with an application for an immigration visa. CIC recognizes dual intent, whereby an individual can work in Canada on temporary basis and thereafter live and work in the country permanently.
Q8. Do students need a student visa for pursuing a short term course?
The need for a student visa majorly depends on the length of the course. If the course duration is less than six months, then there is no need for a student visa. However, if the course duration is more than six months, you must apply for a student visa.
Q9. Is there an eligibility occupation list under the Federal Skilled Worker Visa category?
- No, there is no eligibility occupation list prevalent at this time under the Federal Skilled Worker Visa category. Applicants of this category must have a minimum one year work experience in the last 10 years in a National Occupation Classification (NOC) code types O, A and B.
