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Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

r. 7 Temporary resident

  • PART 2 General Requirements
  • DIVISION 1 Documents Required Before Entry

Last verified: June 2026 · Source: justice.gc.ca

The law says

IRPR r. 7
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(1)A foreign national may not enter Canada to remain on a temporary basis without first obtaining a temporary resident visa.

Exception

(2)Subsection (1) does not apply to a foreign national who

  • (a)is exempted under Division 5 of Part 9 from the requirement to have a temporary resident visa;
  • (b)holds a temporary resident permit issued under subsection 24(1) of the Act;
  • (c)is authorized under the Act or these Regulations to re-enter Canada to remain in Canada; or
  • (d)[Repealed, SOR/2023-106, s. 1]

When certificat d’acceptation du Québec required

(3)In addition to any visa required under this section, a foreign national who is seeking to enter and remain in Canada on a temporary basis to receive medical treatment in the Province of Quebec must hold a certificat d’acceptation du Québec if the laws of that Province require the foreign national to hold that document.

IRPA Authority

Amendment History (2)
  • SOR/2018-109, s. 1
  • SOR/2023-106, s. 1

Justice Laws is the authoritative version. If this copy and it ever differ, Justice Laws wins.

Sections numbered under r. 7

Each of these is its own section of the Regulations, numbered after section 7.

IRPR r. 7.01

Nationals of certain countries

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What that means

Citizens of the countries in this table, Mexico among them, have two routes for flying to Canada. They need either a visitor visa or an eTA, which is an electronic travel authorization. The cheaper eTA is not open to everyone in this group. You can apply for one only if you held a Canadian visitor visa at some point in the past 10 years, or hold a valid US non-immigrant visa now. Everyone else applies for the visa. This is an air-travel rule, so it changes nothing at a land crossing.

The law says

(1)Despite subsection 7(1), a foreign national who is a citizen of a country listed in the table to this subsection and who is seeking to enter Canada by air may not enter Canada to remain on a temporary basis without first obtaining a temporary resident visa or an electronic travel authorization. [Table to subsection (1), rendered as a list:] Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Brazil; Costa Rica; Indonesia; Malaysia; Mexico; Morocco; Panama; Philippines; Seychelles; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Thailand; Trinidad and Tobago; Uruguay.

Application for electronic travel authorization — conditions

(2)A foreign national referred to in subsection (1) may only make an application for an electronic travel authorization if they

  • (a)have held a temporary resident visa at any time during the 10-year period immediately preceding the day on which they make their application; or
  • (b)hold a valid United States nonimmigrant visa on the day on which they make their application.
IRPR r. 7.1

Electronic travel authorization

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What that means

If your passport lets you visit Canada without a visa, you still need an electronic travel authorization (eTA) before you board a flight. The same applies before a boat trip straight from Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. If you already hold a visitor visa, you do not need an eTA. Some people never need one. Americans, US permanent residents and members of the Royal Family are among them.

The law says

(1)A foreign national referred to in paragraph 7(2)(a) who is exempt from the requirement to obtain a temporary resident visa and who is either seeking to enter Canada by air to remain on a temporary basis or seeking to enter Canada by vessel directly from St. Pierre and Miquelon to remain on a temporary basis is required to obtain an electronic travel authorization before entering Canada, unless they are exempt from that requirement under subsection (3).

Holder of temporary resident visa

(2)Subsection (1) does not apply to a foreign national who holds a temporary resident visa.

Exempt persons

(3)The following persons are exempt from the requirement to obtain an electronic travel authorization:

  • (a)Her Majesty in right of Canada and any member of the Royal Family;
  • (b)a national of the United States or a person who has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence;
  • (c)a foreign national referred to in paragraph 190(2)(a);
  • (d)a foreign national seeking to enter and remain in Canada solely
  • (i)as a member of a crew of a means of transportation that may be used for transportation by air or to become a member of such a crew, or
  • (ii)to transit through Canada after working, or to work, as a member of a crew of a means of transportation that may be used for transportation by air, if they possess a ticket for departure from Canada within 24 hours after their arrival in Canada;
  • (e)a citizen of France who is a resident of St. Pierre and Miquelon who seeks to enter Canada directly from St. Pierre and Miquelon;
  • (f)a foreign national referred to in any of paragraphs 190(3)(b), (b.1), (c), (d), (f), (g) and (h) and subsection (3.1); and
  • (g)a foreign national who is seeking to enter Canada on a vessel that has overnight accommodations for at least 100 persons, exclusive of accommodations for any members of the crew.

Guides that explain this section

eTA vs Visitor Visa (TRV): Which Do You Need for Canada?Canada Visitor Visa (TRV) GuideDo I Need a Visa to Visit Canada? By CountryCanada Visitor Visa From Nigeria: RequirementsCUSMA / USMCA Work Permit Canada: Guide for Americans and MexicansCanada eTA with a Criminal Record: What You Need to Know

Explained in depth in the textbooks

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Related regulations

IRPR r. 4.1New relationshipIRPR r. 7.01Nationals of certain countries