Visitor Visa Extension
Visitor Visa Extension
It is very common to see visitors in Canada wanting to extend their stay in the country. Whether they want to continue visiting places or they decided to spend a holiday together with family members, Canada has put in place a system that allows visitors to apply for an extension of their stay. It is important to highlight that visitors in Canada who need to extend their stay will have to apply for a document called visitor record.( Visitor Visa Extension). Regardless of the type of document that visitors originally used to enter the country; either a valid temporary resident visa (TRV), an electronic travel authorization (eTA) or simply a passport.
A visitor record allows visitors to extend their status in Canada and therefore stay longer. This document will include a new expiry date by which the visitor will need to leave Canada. It is important to apply for a visitor record before the current temporary status expires. In order to know when a document expires, applicants can refer to their passports to the latest entry stamp and verify when the expiry date will be put into effect. If there are no stamps, then the standard time of 6 months apply.
It is recommended to apply for visitor visa extension 30 days before the current status expires. In the scenario where the process of the extension application surpasses the expiry date of the current status, applicants can benefit from implied status. Please take into account that implied status will only allow applicants to remain under the same conditions as the expired status until a decision regarding the extension request comes.
Visitor Visa Extension
In order to prepare an visitor visa extension application, visitors need to have a valid passport, proof of current status in Canada and proof of economic means to fund the extra time they will be staying. They will also need to provide a detailed explanation of the reason behind their extension and pay the required fees. The Visitor Visa Extension application can be done online or by paper, however, filing an online application is always encouraged as it also provides a personalized checklist of all the documentation needed to provide. Take into account that if the visitor has accompanying family members who are in Canada under a visitor status, all family members will also need to apply for their individual visitor record.
In summary, when visitors require to stay extra time in Canada, applying for an extension should be done in advance prior to the expiry of their current immigration status. Visitors in Canada must have a solid reason why they require to stay longer, plus the means of financial support to pay for their expenses in that extra time. If the current immigration status expires before there is a response regarding the extension application, applicants can benefit from implied status. A valid passport is always required for this process since officers will not issue a visitor record longer than the expiry of the passport.
Regards,
SmartImmigrant
