Most foreign nationals must obtain a temporary resident visa before arriving in Canada to stay temporarily. Exceptions exist for people who are visa-exempt (like many nationalities), people with a temporary resident permit, or people who are authorized to re-enter Canada.
(1)A foreign national may not enter Canada to remain on a temporary basis without first obtaining a temporary resident visa.
(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24(1) of the Act; (c)is authorized under the Act or these Regulations to re-enter Canada to remain in Canada; or (d)[Repealed, SOR/2023-106, s. 1]
(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.
Amendment History (1)
7.01 (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. (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.
7.1 (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 seeking to enter Canada by air 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). (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a foreign national who holds a temporary resident visa. (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; and (f)a foreign national referred to in any of paragraphs 190(3)(b), (b.1), (c), (d), (f), (g) or (h).