Here is what you need to know if you want to extend your stay if you entered Canada as a visitor and your status is about to expire.
If you are a visitor to Canada, you might want to extend your stay given the ongoing border closures, travel bans, and restrictions.
Generally speaking, visitors’ visas enable foreign nationals to reside legally in Canada for up to six months. Visitor’s legal status expires, and they must depart Canada after this time frame.
Considering extending your stay in Canada above the allotted time may be on your mind if this is the situation for you.
You must do this while your visitor visa, commonly known as a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), is still in effect by applying for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
A Canadian visa office issues the TRV, an official document that is then entered into the foreign individual’s passport. Using this document, you can confirm that you’ve fulfilled the requirements for temporary residency in Canada.
You must apply for a visitor record to prolong your visa-exempt stay in Canada. This document will have a validity period, after which you must leave the country or seek another extension to stay legally in Canada.
Remember that even if you have a visitor record, you may not be able to enter Canada again if you choose to leave.
You can stay in Canada until a decision is made if your current visiting visa expires while your request for an extension is being reviewed. Previously known as “implied status,” this is now known as “maintained status.”
The terms of your visitor status are prolonged during this time: you are only permitted to remain in Canada as a visitor.
However, if your visitor status has already run out, you might be able to get it back if you keep up with the initial criteria and requirements.
Read Also: http://how long can i extend my visitor visa in canada
How much time can you spend in Canada?
People who intend to enter Canada temporarily, such as tourists, temporary foreign workers, and international students, must apply for and be granted a TRV unless they are nationals of a country free from visa requirements. The average traveler visiting Canada is permitted to stay for up to six months.
Those who enter Canada and have their passports stamped with an entry stamp must leave Canada by the date written on the stamp. The visitor record’s expiration date must be passed before the individual departs Canada.
Foreign nationals can only stay in Canada for six months without having their passports stamped, counting from when they arrived or until their passports expire, whichever comes first.
Although there are currently travel limitations in place, it is still possible to apply for a visitor’s visa; however, at this time, only people exempt from these restrictions are permitted to enter Canada.
A potential beneficiary of this temporary remedy must
Possess a valid job offer; be a visitor with a valid status in Canada on the day they apply; have remained in Canada with a valid status; submit an application for an employer-specific work permit in Canada that is accompanied by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
and meet all other standard eligibility requirements, such as background checks and medical exams, among others.
Conclusion
It’s not a scary thing to read a visitor record. On the contrary, it makes your stay in Canada’s terms and conditions clear. You could occasionally get a Visitor Record if the officer decides to let you stay in Canada longer than is customary. A Visitor Record can also be used for the flagpole.
Before leaving the port of entry, please carefully study the contents of the Visitor Record document. Of course, ask the officer to correct any errors if you find any. A Visitor Record is not a visa, so keep that in mind. As a result, you cannot use it to enter Canada again.