Business Visit Canada
Business is all about social networking and building strong relationships with your clientele. It is important for us to stay up to date with trends, connect with the right people, and build trusting bonds with potential business partners. In the age of advanced technology and the internet, it makes it easy to hold conference calls with people from all over the world via Zoom, Facetime, Skype, etc. However, I believe that in-person meetings are still at the top of the list when it comes to great first impressions. Even if it is once a year, traveling for business is essential if you want to build an international clientele base.
What better way to connect than to attend a conference in Canada? Canada is known for multiculturalism and being the hotspot of global citizens. Now, before you travel to Canada for business, you must determine if you need a visitor visa or an eTA by visiting here.
Once you have your visitor visa/eTA, you will need to prepare other documents to prove to the border officer that you are entering Canada for business purposes. I understand, going through immigration at the airport is always intimidating. This is why, we must make sure we have the correct documents needed.
Firstly, most visitors coming to Canada for business purposes will stay for a few days to a few weeks. Never more than 6 months. Here are some documents you should prepare in addition to basic documents needed for visitors:
- Hotel booking information
- Event ticket (if your purpose is to attend a conference/tradeshow)
- Return flight information
- Business licence and financial documents that show your income is earned outside of Canada
If you are being invited by a company in Canada, it is also a good idea to ask for an official letter of invitation to include in your application package. It also never hurts to have their contact information on you, in case CBSA decides to reach out to them to clarify your travel purpose.
Business Visit Canada
It is also very important to keep your documents on you, and conveniently available. This is because an officer may ask you to present them upon entering Canada. For specific details on documents and eligibility, you can find the information here.
The two most common cities for international events are Vancouver and Toronto. You may check for event information on city websites or reach out to companies you are interested in working with on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
If you plan your trip accordingly and answer all your questions honestly, you should have no trouble entering Canada as a businessperson.
What may jeopardize your trip?
If you have a one-way flight to Canada, make sure you have a good reason for not buying a return ticket! One-way tickets look suspicious to border officers as they are always trying to determine if you will truthfully leave Canada or not. Having a solid itinerary with departure dates and plans will give them reassurance of your honesty. If the reason you have not bought your return ticket is because you may travel to another country, it is a good idea to show possible trips you are looking into adding to your travel plans. Other than that, coming to Canada on business should be a piece of cake and we wish you the best of luck in your future business endeavors. Once again, we understand applications to CIC can be a long and stressful process. If you would like some help, please don’t be afraid to reach out to one of our licensed immigration consultants. We are here to help!
Regards,
SmartImmigrant (Business Visit Canada)
