Canada Simplifies Visa Process For Frequent Visitors

Some frequent visitors to Canada may find their future visits less bureaucratic—and less expensive—than before.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has introduced a multi-entry visa designed specifically with frequent travelers to Canada in mind. As of February 6^th, the new multi-entry visa allows qualified visitors to Canada to arrive and depart the country for six months at a time—for up to 10 years—without having to reapply for a new visa.

In addition, the fee charged for the Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) has been reduced from $150 to $100 (that fee applies to both single, as well as multiple-entry visas).

According to the CIC, the changes to the TRV are designed to promote Canadian tourism and trade by increasing the number of travelers and visits to Canada.

However, not all the news pertaining to visa fees charged by the CIC was positive. While some TRV fees have been cut, several other fees relating to the Temporary Resident Program are increasing.

The list of recently increased Temporary Resident fees include:

A $25 increase in fees for study permits and renewals
A $5 increase in fees for work permits and renewals
A $25 increase in the fees for extensions to remain in Canada as a visitor
An increase in the maximum family fee for TRVs from $100 to $500
A hefty increase in the maximum work permit fee for a group of performing artists and their staff, jumping from $15 to $465

The new multi-entry visa, as well as the fee changes, will likely impact a wide range of individuals, as more than 35 million people—approximately the population of Canada—visit the country each year.

According to the CIC, the multiple-entry visa should be particularly popular with visitors from China, Mexico and India who hold 10-year passports and thus have been eligible to apply for the 10-year visitor visa.

The CIC also points out that even with the wide-ranging fee increases for some Temporary Residents, Canada’s visa fees remain “competitive” with other nations’.

For example, a Temporary Resident work permit that will costs $150 in Canada would cost $342 in the United Kingdom, and would be $200 plus an “issuance and blanket” fee in the United States.