Staying a Little Longer: A Simple Guide to Extending Your Canada Visa - sunconsulting.pk

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It is not unusual for people to fall in love with Canada and wish to extend their visas. The multicultural experience, nature bliss, and endless recreational opportunities make people crave a bit more of Canada. So how do you extend your Canada visa? Here is a guideline to help.

Extend your Canadian Visitor Visa: –

Visitors to Canada have two pathways. Either they can enter through a visitor visa or an electronic travel authorization. A visitor visa is generally valid for up to six months at the end of which the visa holder must leave Canada. However, if he wishes to extend the visa he needs to apply for a visitor record. The visitor record has an expiry date. A visitor record extends your stay in Canada; however, it does not guarantee that the holder may enter Canada again once he leaves the country.

When to apply for a visa extension?

A visitor visa is normally valid for up to six months. The visa holder must apply for an extension before his visa expires. Those who arrive in Canada through the primary inspection kiosk have to apply before either the end of six months from entry or till the passport expires, whichever date comes first.

Who is a temporary resident?

A temporary resident is an authorized person to come to Canada for work, study, or visit. These are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Temporary residents have a limited time of stay in Canada. The immigration officer at the airport stamps the visitor’s passport with the authorized length of stay. If there is no such stamp or additional document attached to the passport, the stay will be for six months. In some cases where the applicant gets a visitor record, even then the status expires in six months.

Complete list of documents required to extend your stay as a temporary resident: –

To extend your stay in Canada you need to apply to the IRCC. Make sure you have the following documents ready with you.

• Complete information as to why you want to extend your stay.
• Complete identity documents
• Current status in Canada proof
• Sufficient evidence that you will be able to support your elongated stay in Canada. This includes a letter from Guarantor and bank account details.
• Complete information about your plans to leave Canada, specifically your date and time of departure from Canada and mode of transportation to your home country.

Once you have all the documents ready you can apply for the extension. Here are some conditions you must fulfill for a valid application.

• Apply for your status as a visitor to Canada expires.
• Abide by all laws and requirements as those for your initial stay.
• Fulfill all the conditions for the initial stay such as not working or studying without authorization.

Visa extension process: –

Once you have all the documents ready and fulfilled all the conditions, you are ready to apply for a visa extension. You can apply online. Online application is more convenient and time-saving. Moreover, if any document is missing it notifies it right away so that you may upgrade the information before applying. Follow these steps to complete your visa extension application.

• Arrange and submit all the required documents.
• Pay the visa application fee.
• Complete the application form. It is always better to keep a copy with yourself for reference.
• When the forms are complete, sign and write the date on them.
• Now you are ready to submit your application online, provided all the above steps are completed correctly.

In the case of a family application, each member applies separately. This holds for spouses, children, or common–law partners.

Visa processing time varies according to the number of applicants. For family applications, the visa processing is a bit longer compared to that for a single person.

Restoration of status: –

If IRCC accepts your application it grants you a legal status to stay in Canada with a new expiry date. If it rejects your application, your visa expiry date shall remain the same as with the original visa. Those who get a refusal can restore their application within a time of 90 days from the date of issuance of the refusal notice. You may apply for restoration of status in the following situations.

• Your authorized stay in Canada surpassed by 90 days at maximum.
• You changed your employer, work, or location of work and did not receive the work permit yet.
• You changed your study course and did not get a study permit for that.

 If your visa expiry date arrives while you wait for a decision on your restoration application, you may stay in Canada under the maintained status. However, you cannot work or study during that period as you await the decision. To apply for restoration you must stay in Canada. If you leave Canada and then try to re-enter, the authorities will consider your application as a new entry. This means you will have to pay a visa processing fee as a new applicant.

Conclusion: –

A law-abiding country such as Canada requires meticulous paperwork and documentation from immigrants from other countries. Therefore it is always better to have your paperwork ready to ensure better chances of acceptance of your application.