Applying for a visa to Canada

Specificity of the documents submission

For those persons who is going to visit the country with a private, business visit or for the purpose of training on any courses or for tourist purposes, the Temporary Resident Visa is issued. In order to visit the country for more than six months, you need to apply for a Study Permit (study visa to Canada).

It should be noted that the embosy regulations have become tighter, so now absolutely all submitted documents must be translated into French or English.

The SMAPSE specialists are ready to help with the choice of the right visa type for study in Canada, which will correspond to the duration and purpose of the trip.

To obtain it you will need:

1. A questionnaire filled out in one of the official languages of Canada.
2. The completed "Family Information" form.
3. A foreign passport that will be valid for 3 months after the applicant leaves Canada. If you have 2 valid passports, you need to present them together.
4. Previous passport with visas, if any.
5. Color photos (2 pcs.), Made no later than six months before the application. They should be without ovals, measuring 3.5 x 4.5, having a size of the image from the top to the chin of 36 mm, matte, with a light background. The upper part of the shoulders must necessarily be visible.
6. Confirmation of booking of air tickets and hotels, description of the route, availability of transfers in Canada.
7. A certificate of employment or aplicant parents' certificate, printed on the company letterhead, with the seal and signature of the head. It should indicate the salary, position, length of service at the enterprise and contact details. Also in this information there should be information that the applicant, on the occasion of his/her trip, is granted leave, in which his job and position are preserved. The certificate must be translated into French / English. A certificate from the parents' place of work is provided if they provide financial support.
8. If the applicant is married, you need a certificate from the place of work of the spouse (a) with the transfer.
9. Document confirming sufficient availability of funds: an extract from a credit card, an extract from a bank account with a transfer.
10. Confirmation of family, economic and social ties with the country: a certificate of marriage, property, the birth of children.
11. Original birth certificate for minors, and consent to departure from both parents or from one, if the second parent of the child accompanies, notarized and stamped "Apostille".
12. A copy of all the completed pages of the national passport.
13. For students registering a study and tourist visa to Canada, you need:

- original, copy or fax of the invitation from the educational institution;

- documents on availability of accommodation in Canada for the whole stay;

- a copy of the student's record book (student's card) or a certificate from the place of study;

- for minors - consent from parents / guardians to enter the country independently, certified by a notary; This document should include a guardian who will be with the child in Canada;

- for children under of age, custodianship is required - guardianship from Canada; For the group, you can draw up a document for the head and notarize;

- the student needs an essay, which sets out the reasons for choosing the training course;

- students who travel on a long-term visa for study in Canada need an extract from the bank account indicating the movement of funds for the last six months, and also shows the balance on the bank card that will cover residence and study in Canada throughout the stay.

It is advisable to submit an additional extract from the sponsor's bank account (if any), his previous passports or copies, as well as a certificate or certificate of teaching English.

All of the above references must have a certified translation into French or English and be certified by the agency with the address and diploma number of the translator.

Important information:

1. It is allowed to file documents and copies of all pages of a valid foreign passport, and present the original passport later.
2. You can pick up a passport at the time of submitting for a time, if required.
3. If the visa for study in Canada is not ready, and the term of the training course is already suitable, then you do not need to apply for a new course, because the visa is issued only for entry into the country.
4. As a rule, a study and student visa to Canada, like other types of visas, is issued for a period of two months shorter than the passport is valid, since it can not exceed the validity period.
5. It is not necessary to submit originals of notarial agreements, since they do not return.

Note! Very often a standard package of documents is not enough. After analyzing each situation, SMAPSE specialists will provide valuable recommendations for the formation of the most optimal package of documents, which will guarantee the receipt of a study and student visa to Canada.

The visa officer can also request additional documents at his discretion.

A study and student visa for Canada involves training in Canadian educational institutions and training in consulting companies in Canada.

A visa for study in Canada can be of two types:

• TRV - temporary resident, when the training lasts less than 6 months;
• Study Permit - permission to study when a student can stay in the country for 6 months or more.

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) states that a student planning to study in Canada for less than six months does not require a study and student visa to Canada.

In some cases, a study permit and a visa for study in Canada can be useful, for example:

• If the student wants to stay in Canada for a longer period to enter the university at the end of the course;
• If the applicant wants to find work on the campus;
• if the chosen course lasts more than 6 months, but the student is not going to finish it and is going to leave the country before the end of the course.

To apply for a study and student visa to Canada, you will need:

• The application form - is a temporary resident's application (2 pieces) filled in one of the official languages of Canada.
• The completed "Family Information" form.
• A foreign passport that will be valid until the time when the applicant leaves Canada. If you have 2 valid passports, you need to present them together.
• Previous passport with visas, if any.
• Color photos (3 pcs.), Made no later than six months before the application. They should be without ovals, measuring 3.5 x 4.5, having a size of the image from the top to the chin of 36 mm, matte, with a light background. The upper part of the shoulders must necessarily be visible.
• Letterofacceptance / Lettred'admission - letter of admission to the educational institution of Canada (original, copy, fax). When traveling to Quebec, you need permission to enter this province from the Government of Quebec. Responsibility for the preparation of this document is assumed by the inviting party.
• Student study plan (Study Plan), which the applicant writes independently. The document should be about one page in size and contain the answers to the questions:

- why did the student have a desire to study at this educational institution;

- Career goals and education: how can education in Canada help to achieve professional success.

• Financial confirmation of payment of accommodation and training in the selected educational institution. The amount must be at least 12,000 Canadian dollars a year.
• Proof that the student will return after graduation to his country. For this you need:

- certificate of employment, which will indicate the salary, position and period of work at the specified enterprise;

- copies of certificates of marriage and the birth of children, if any (can be provided from the parents);

- certificate of employment of the spouse.

All documents must be provided with translations into English, and notarization is not necessary.

• The reference from work with the instruction of the salary, the length of service and a post, necessarily with translation. A photocopy of the work record card, which is certified by the personnel department, also with a translation.

It is necessary to attach a booklet and business card of the company, a copy of the certificate of its registration, if the applicant is the general director or the owner of the company.

If there is a spouse, then you need to provide a certificate from the place of his (her) work. If someone sponsors, then you need to provide a certificate from the sponsor's place of work.

• Reference letters from employers, coaches or teachers.
• If the company pays for the employee to study, then a letter of guarantee is required to pay for the tuition from the enterprise.
• If the applicant wants to stay in Canada for a period exceeding 6 months, then you need an application for permission to study in English (2 pcs.)
• An extract from the bank account with a transfer indicating the movement of funds for the last 6 months.
• For the student additional documents:

- a copy of the student's record book, student's card and the original certificate from the university where the applicant is studying;

- all listed documents must be with English translation;

- if the training is completed, then you need to provide a translated copy of the degree.

If a child who is under of age travels to Canada independently, he will need the notarised consent of both parents. If one of the parents of the child is accompanied, then consent is needed from the other parent.

Consent to care, certified by a notary, is issued until the child reaches the age of majority established by the province of Canada, in which he/she is sent. In different provinces the age of majority is different. For example, in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island, consent to care must be provided to children under the age of 18 years. And in all other provinces this age was extended to 19 years.

An affidavit about care, notarially certified, is also required. This is an indication of a person who, for the duration of aplicants stay in Canada, will take care of him (caring for the child).

If a group of minors with a leader travels in Canada, then the consent of the parents will be sufficient instead of the above documents. The head of the group will bear full responsibility for the children during the whole stay in the country.

To prove your close relationship with the country, it is advisable to attach the following documents:

• a copy of the registration certificate if the car is owned;
• all old overseas passports with visas;
• all documents that indicate the ownership of the property: real estate, sales contract, certificate of privatization and so on.

If the applicant intends to stay in Canada for more than six months (for example, a long-term visa is required for studying in Canada), then the officer in the consulate may, in case of a positive decision, ask him to undergo a medical commission.

For those wishing to immigrate, medical instructions are issued only after a positive decision has been taken on their issue.

For all applicants who have been asked to undergo a medical examination, there is a certain medical questionnaire that needs to be filled out. For the preliminary examination, there is another form of medical questionnaire that the applicant can obtain from doctors in clinics accredited by the Government of Canada. All documents are accompanied by a translation or should be written in English.