Do You Need a Visa to Visit Canada?

The law says

A foreign national may not enter Canada to remain on a temporary basis without first obtaining a temporary resident visa.

What that means

Unless you are on the exempt list, you need a visitor visa before you travel to Canada. This cannot be fixed at the airport. A temporary resident permit or an authorization to re-enter does the job instead. People coming to Quebec for medical care may need one more document. If Quebec law requires it, they need a certificat d'acceptation du Quebec as well as the visa.

The law says

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).

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

A foreign national is exempt from the requirement to obtain a temporary resident visa if they … (a) are a citizen of a country listed in Schedule 1.1; … (c) are a national of the United States or a person who has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence.

What that means

This is where visa-free travel comes from. Citizens of the countries in Schedule 1.1 are exempt. So are British citizens, British overseas citizens who can be readmitted to the UK, and citizens of ten named British overseas territories. The same goes for US nationals and US permanent residents. Romanian citizens are exempt if their passport is machine readable and has a chip. Diplomatic and official acceptances, some crew members and some transit cases carry exemptions of their own.

The law says

A foreign national must, before entering Canada, apply to an officer for a visa or for any other document required by the regulations.

What that means

This is the basic rule for coming to Canada. Most people need a visa or an electronic travel authorization before they travel. An officer issues it only if satisfied that you meet the requirements and are not inadmissible, meaning barred from entering. People who came as part of a designated irregular arrival must also wait five years before they can apply for permanent residence.

The law says

Every foreign national, other than a foreign national referred to in section 19, who seeks to enter or remain in Canada must establish, … (b) to become a temporary resident, that they hold the visa or other document required under the regulations and will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay.

What that means

Holding a document is not enough. A foreign national has to make their case at the border. To come and stay, you show your permanent resident visa and that you are here to settle. To visit, study or work, you show your document and must satisfy the officer that you will leave when your time is up.