All You Need to Know About Renewing Your Canadian Visa

A detailed guide for visa renewal for Canadians planning on staying in Canada for a longer period of time. Learn how to renew your visa, what you can and cannot do while waiting, and who is eligible.

Immigration Jun 28, 2022 0 Add to Reading List

All You Need to Know About Renewing Your Canadian Visa

All visitors to Canada need to obtain a visa before they enter the country, regardless of their nationality or how long they plan to stay. Whether you’re coming on vacation or to live in Canada permanently, it’s important to know all the details about how and when to renew your Canadian visa before it expires. This guide will walk you through the requirements and timeline of the visa renewal process and will help you determine whether or not you’ll need to leave Canada in order to get your renewed visa.

However, many foreigners are also looking to immigrate to this Canada some of these foreigners also look for ways to renew their visas. Meanwhile, if you are a foreigner outside Canada and you are wondering if you can travel to Canada with your expired visa card. Well YES, you can make a successful trip to Canada with your expired visa card but that is if the validation date is no longer than one(1) month that the card expires. Here is what you are to do if you are in the situation:

A valid visa inside an expired document is considered valid, however, make sure you have both your old passport with the valid visa and your new passport with you when traveling to Canada. This is because you can as well renew your visa when you get to Canada as a foreigner.

What is Visa Renewal

To go to Canada, you need a visa. This is true whether you plan on visiting Canada or if you plan on immigrating permanently. A visa is valid for either six months or one year, depending on what kind of visa you apply for. After that period ends, your visa expires and if you still have time left in your stay in Canada, a new one will be required. When you first arrive in Canada, however, it can be difficult to determine how long your visa will last.

Renewing Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa - TRV)

If you are a visitor visa holder and want to stay in Canada for longer than six months, you must apply for a renewal of your visitor visa (temporary resident visa - TRV) before it expires. You can find more information about how to renew your visitor visa at Canada’s Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) System.

If you do not have an eTA or if your visa has expired, you will need to go through a full immigration screening process when entering Canada. This includes providing biometrics (fingerprints and photos).

To avoid long line-ups at airports across Canada, we recommend that you book an appointment with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) prior to arriving in Canada by using their online system.

Note:

Only citizens of certain countries require a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) to enter Canada. A TRV is sometimes referred to as a “Visitor Visa” or “Entry Visa”.

You can remain in Canada, even if your TRV has expired, as long as you have a valid status document (e.g. valid Study Permit, Work Permit, Visitor Record, or visitor stamp in your passport).

If you leave Canada, you may request to re-enter Canada if:

You have a valid TRV; or
Your TRV has expired and you have only visited the U.S. or St. Pierre and Miquelon and you have a valid status (e.g. Study Permit, Work Permit, Visitor Record, or visitor stamp in passport).
You can check the estimated processing time for visitor visas

Eligibility Requirement

To be eligible for visa renewal in Canada, a foreign national must meet a few criteria. First, they must hold a valid Canadian visitor visa and plan on remaining in Canada after its expiration. They also need to hold enough funds for their stay usually about CAD $10,000 (per person), proof of employment in Canada or another country with no work restrictions on your current visa, and proof of ties to their home country if that’s where they’ll return after completing their travel in Canada. Finally, you can only renew your visa once within a two-year period; otherwise, you will have to apply for an entirely new visa.

What you need for your visa renewal application

To complete your application, you will need your passport, a passport-sized photo, and all of your immigration documents. For more information on what you’ll need for each type of visa renewal application, check out Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s website. There are also specific requirements for visa renewals depending on where you live in Canada. For example,

if you live in Quebec, your renewal process may be different than it is if you live in Ontario or Alberta. If you have questions about visa renewals or living in Canada, we recommend that you speak with an immigration lawyer who can help answer any questions that come up during your process.

How do I renew my visa?

To renew your Canadian visa, you must have lived in Canada for a total of two years during any period of five years. In addition, you must also be able to prove that you can continue supporting yourself financially during your stay in Canada. If these requirements aren’t met, it is likely that your application will be denied. In such a case, you would need to leave Canada and return with an immigrant visa if you still wish to move there permanently.

However one can also extend his/her visitor visa card in Canada as many times as they want as there is no particular limit to the number of times you can extend a visitor's status. meanwhile for this to happen the officer or the immigration laws will consider the history of the visitor and some other purpose of the visit and whether there is a valid reason to continue visiting.

Can we renew visas online?

The fees vary depending on the type of nonimmigrant visa. You are also required to fill DS-160 Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application form. You have to save the confirmation page after your fill out the form. You should register an account on the official website of the Canadian embassy.

How much is it to renew a Canadian visa?

Temporary residence
Fee Price ($CAN)
Extend your stay as a visitor - per person $100.00
Restore your status as a visitor Visa fee is not needed $200.00
Workers
Work permit (including extensions) – per person $155.00

How soon can I renew my Canadian visa before it expires?

If you want to extend your stay in Canada, you should apply at least 30 days before your status expires. For the steps to apply, see How to apply to extend your stay as a visitor.7 Apr 2022.

What can happen if I don’t renew my visa?

If you do not renew your visa before it expires, you will lose your right to stay in Canada. In that case, you may need a new temporary resident visa or another immigration document. You might also be sent home. If your application is refused and you want to remain in Canada, or if removal orders are issued against you, it is possible for an immigration official or judge to allow you some more time before being removed from Canada.

Although, you may be wondering if it is possible to live in Canada without a visa or how long can you stay in Canada without a visa. However, if you are in Canada and your visa card expires you can as well stay up to six (6) months in Canada and if you are not in Canada at the time which your visa expires, the Canada border services officer may allow you get in will not allow you to spend more then 1-3 months before your visa renewal and the may give you date you are to leave the country.

What happens when the process goes wrong?

The reason why so many people are failing at getting their visas renewed, is because they don’t know what happens if things go wrong. Visa renewal for Canada is an important task that must be done properly in order to avoid big problems down the road. If you’re hoping to live and work in Canada, you need to make sure your visa renewal goes smoothly.

Final thought

Canada has a short-term visitor visa (for six months) and a long-term visitor visa. Both visas allow you to stay in Canada for up to two years, though you can’t remain after your visa expires. When you first get your entry stamp into Canada, it is valid for up to ten years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. However, when you apply for a temporary resident visa renewal before that 10-year period ends, it is automatically extended by another five years.