Indeed Canada is a land of opportunities and possibilities. No wonder, the number of people visiting the country has skyrocketed between 2015 till date.
If you have made up your mind to visit Canada and you are wondering how to go about applying for your visa, then you are in the right place.
In this post, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of applying for your Canadian visa online.
Applying for a Canadian visa online has several benefits some of which are:
- Faster processing of application
- Instant submission. No mail delivery time or courier fees
- When you apply online, your application must be completed before submission. This is unlike the manual application, where the possibility of submitting an incomplete application is very high
- If additional documents are requested, you can easily submit them online
- You will be updated on your application status directly via your online account
However, applying for a Canadian visa online requires a high definition camera or scanner to create e-copies of your documents and a valid debit or credit card.
Before you even commence the application, we advise that you read the instruction guide. Steps 3 and 4 in the instruction guide does not affect online applicants, you may ignore it. When you submit your application, you must pay the biometrics fee; otherwise, your application might be delayed.
Documents Required
The following are the documents required to apply for a Canadian Visa:
- International Passport
- Passport Photographs
- Bank Statement
- Travel Itinerary
- Medical Insurance
- Additional documents like marriage certificate and letter of invitation
So, if you have your documents handy, let’s get started with the step-by-step process of applying for a Canadian visa:
1). Am I eligible to apply?
Regardless of your purpose of visiting Canada, you must be qualified to be awarded a Canadian visa.
Applicants seeking for Canadian visa must fulfill the following conditions:
- Your International passport must be valid
- Your health must not be questionable
- You must have a job or business that will spur your return back to your country
- You must have the financial resources to cater to your needs when you arrive in the country
- You must not have any criminal record with the police
- You must be free from any serious financial case
- You must not have an ineligible family member travelling along with you to the country
- You must be meet all other requirements as stipulated in the instructions guide (read the instruction guide)
2). Fill the application form
Before you complete the form online, you need to decide what category of visa you are applying for. There are different types of Visa – Work permit, student visa, and temporary resident visa. Whichever one suits your need, it must be indicated in the application form.
After deciding which category of visa to apply for, you will visit the Canadian Visa Application Portal. Once the portal opens, you will create an account for free. A link would be sent to your email for a confirmation. Login to your email and click on the link. Ensure you have all the documents handy before you commence this step.
3). Complete VFS Consent Form
The VFS consent form is available to be completed online. You will sign on the form electronically. This form must be completed before your application will go through, otherwise, your application would keep bouncing.
4). Pay the required Application and Biometric fees
Due to the fluctuating nature of the exchange rate, the fee in your local currency is not always constant, therefore before payment, check with your local currency exchanger to know the actual exchange rate. You can pay with either your credit or debit card.
5). Upload your documents and hit the submit button
After successfully paying for the visa and biometrics fee, the next step is to upload all the required documents. At this point, ensure you don’t submit a fake document because it would definitely ruin your chances of been awarded the visa.
Once you have successfully uploaded all your documents and your passport photograph, you can hit the submit button to submit your application.
6). Track your application
You can track the progress of your visa application by always checking your online account. You will receive a notification once it is time for you to visit the Consulate office to do your biometrics. It takes about 14 days to for you to receive the notification if you are applying for a temporary resident visa.