Types of visas for canada

A lot of people use to go to Canada because it is rich in a lot of things, and there are a lot of opportunities for people to grow. Still, many questions strike our minds when thinking about living in Canada and getting a Canadian visa, like how to stay there. What are the options? What are the visas available? 

Let us get familiar with some of them.

Canada offers several types of visas depending on the purpose and length of stay:

Visitor visa:

This visa is for individuals who are willing to visit Canada for a short period, generally used for tourism, visiting family or friends, or for business purposes. A visitor visa allows an individual to visit and stay in Canada temporarily for up to 6 months. Tourists who do family visits or short-term business visits use this kind of visa.

Visitor Visa Application process:

When you are applying for a visitor visa in Canada, you must keep in mind the most important fact that you must have a valid reason for visiting Canada, have sufficient funds to fulfill all kinds of needs during the stay, and the most important thing is that you should leave Canada at the end of your authorized stay. The procedure for applying for a visitor visa includes the following:

• Filling out an application form.
• Providing all the necessary documents.
• Attending an interview with a Canadian immigration officer.

Features of a visitor visa are:

• It helps those individuals who wish to go and visit Canada for tourism, family visits, or short-term business visits.
• It enables people outside the country to visit there and allows them to explore Canadian culture and experience the diversified beauty of the country.
• Allows individuals to easily connect with their family members and friends by reuniting and meeting them. It makes the bond more beautiful.
• People from other countries can also see and enjoy Canadian events, festivals, and other attractions.

Study permit:

This visa is suitable for individuals who dream of studying in Canada. It is like making dreams come true by allowing studying in Canada. A study permit is valid upto the period of study of the individual. It is required for foreign nationals who want to study in Canada for more than a period of 6 months. 

Study Permit Application process:

The process of applying for a study permit involves first obtaining an acceptance letter from a Canadian-designated learning institution; then, if you are applying, you have to prove that you have sufficient funds to cover tuition fees and living expenses, and you have to agree to the papers that you will leave Canada at the end of your studies. A special feature of the study permit is that it also allows the students to do part-time jobs during the study period.

Features of a study permit are:

• Allows any individual outside the country to study in well-known, reputed, designated Canadian learning institutions and makes them able to get a world-class education.
• It opens a path for everyone to learn and improve their language skills.
• It makes individuals interact with many Canadian employers when working part-time while studying, thus opening doors to a better future. Also, these part-time jobs help me gain work experience, which can be done with a study permit.
• Through various immigration programs, individuals on a study permit can apply for Canadian permanent residence or citizenship.

Work permit:

This visa is for individuals wanting to work in Canada. A work permit is required for all the personnel who want to work in Canada but belong to a foreign country; the type of work permit depends on the nature of the job they want to do in Canada. Whether you want to work on a temporary or permanent basis, you will need a work permit if you are a foreign national.

Work permit Application process:

The application process for a work permit involves some steps. Firstly, you need to show a job offer which is from a Canadian employer, and the job offer should mention that it first tried to hire a Canadian worker for the job, but as no suitable candidate for the Canadian residents was found, it is being given to the foreign national. The individual should have papers demonstrating that the applicant has the qualifications and experience to perform the job.

Features of a work permit are:

• An individual gets an opportunity to see the work environment of Canada, work with professionals of Canada and gain Canadian work experience, which will help a lot in the future.
• It enables individuals to get a good salary compared to their home country.
• It provides opportunities to live in Canada, see its social and work life, and explore its culture and the whole country, thus getting a wider exploration horizon.
• Through various immigration programs, study permits also allow individuals to apply for Canadian permanent residence or citizenship.

Express Entry:

This program is designed for skilled workers who wish to immigrate to Canada for work. The best system to determine eligibility is to assess the applicant’s age, education, work experience, language ability, and several other factors. Express entry is more of a program than a visa that helps skilled workers to immigrate to Canada. An assessment is done on the factors mentioned above, and the applicant who scores high enough may be invited to apply as a permanent resident in Canada.

Express Entry Application process:

The application process is simple as compared to other visas. You need to create an online work profile of yours, submit an Expression of Interest, and then after assessment. If you get selected, the Canadian government will invite you to apply for permanent residence.

Features of the Express Entry are:

• It provides a faster pathway to get a Canadian permanent residence as compared to other immigration programs such as work permits, student visas etc.
• It helps individuals in gaining permanent residence status in Canada in easy steps and also helps in getting access to healthcare, education, and other social benefits of Canada.
• It helps individuals to live, work and study anywhere in Canada.
• After meeting the required residency period, individuals can easily apply for Canadian citizenship.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP):

 if you have the skills, education, and work experience to contribute to the economy of a specific Canadian province or territory, then this program is designed for you. The Provincial Nominee Program is a program in which Canadian provinces and territories can nominate foreign nationals suitable for a specific job to get permanent residence based on their skills, education, and work experience. Each province or territory of Canada has specific criterias and application processes for the PNP.

PNP Application process:

This program doesn’t have a direct application process like others, but the Canadian provinces or territories can recommend a name suitable for their job for a permanent residence.

Features of a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP):

• Compared to other immigration programs, it provides a faster pathway to permanent Canadian residence.
• It makes it easy for foreign nationals to live and work in a specific Canadian province or territory.
• Through PNP, an individual can obtain a nomination certificate from a Canadian province or territory, which can increase the individual’s chances of being invited to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry or other programs.
• After meeting the required residency period, individuals can also apply for Canadian citizenship.

Family sponsorship:

This program is designed for Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada who want to sponsor their family members to immigrate to Canada. The relations the Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor to immigrate to Canada are only spouses, children, parents, or grandparents.

Family Sponsorship Application process:

The application process is simple, but it is a necessity that the sponsor should prove that they can support the family member financially, and also that the family member is admissible to Canada, and that they have a genuine relationship with them.

Features of a Family sponsorship program: 

• It helps Canadian citizens, and permanent residents reunite with their family members in Canada and permanently live with them.
• The family members can also access the Canadian healthcare system, education system, and other social benefits.
• The family members also have opportunities to gain Canadian work experience, work in a more competitive and better work environment and apply for Canadian permanent residence or citizenship.

Refugee and asylum claims:

This program is for individuals fleeing persecution, war, or other dangerous situations in their home country and seeking protection in Canada. Individuals fleeing persecution, war, or other dangers in their home country may apply easily for refugee or asylum status in Canada.

Application process:

It doesn’t require proof of earning or fulfilling needs like other programs. Still, it just needs the applicants to demonstrate that they have a well-founded fear of persecution or danger in their home country and that they cannot seek protection from their home government.

Features of Refugee and asylum claims: 

• It helps protect individuals fleeing persecution, war, or other dangers in their home country and gives them shelter in such tough situations.
• The individuals can access Canadian healthcare, education, and other social benefits.
• The individuals can also integrate into the Canadian society and become Canadian citizens; they can easily work, study, and be involved in other societal activities.

It is observed that Canada provides varieties of Visas that provide many opportunities, and each has special features. If you wish to go to Canada for study, work, or other important purposes, carefully go through the processes mentioned in the article and carry all the required proof.