Canada Visitor Visa Application

Hello everyone

I am so happy because I've gotten back my passport with the Canada visa in it! My friend and I will be traveling to Canada next month during the Spring break. My visa application went smoothly and it took me about 3.5 weeks to complete everything. If you're planning to go to Canada, I hope this post will help you with your visa application. You can apply for the visa online directly from this website. For Malaysian passport holders, you will need to give your biometrics and pay the biometrics fee.

Biometrics fee: CAD $85

Visitor visa fee: CAD $100. 

Courier fee for passport submission (USPS): USD $15

Step 1: Create a GCKey account

You need to remember your GCKey username and password to manage your online application. After logging in, you will be asked some questions about your background and the reason why you want to visit Canada.

Step 2: Application Form

You need to download the application form with the latest Adobe Reader. After that, you just need to fill up the form on your laptop and click the validate button. Please make sure that you read the instructions and questions thoroughly before providing your answers. You have to upload back the document after completing it. 

Step 3: Supporting Documents

a) Family Information form (required)

You can download and fill up this form on your laptop. This form will ask you to provide some basic information about your parents and your children (if any). 

b) Travel History (required)

This can include the scanned copies of your:

• previous passports and/or visas (used within the last 10 years to travel outside your country)
• entry and exit stamps
• study and/or work permits that indicate your duration outside of your country expired or valid visas
• boarding passes (I did not include this)

c) Passport (required)

• the page that shows your birth date and country of origin, and
• any pages with stamps, visas or markings.

d) Proof of Financial Resource of Supporter (required)

If you depend on someone financially, that person can provide proof that they have sufficient funds to support you in Canada. If you're a sponsored student, you may want to submit your financial affidavit for this part. These are some options that you can submit:

• proof of a student/education loan from a financial institution
• bank statements for the past four months
• a bank draft in convertible currency
• proof of payment of tuition and accommodation fees 
• a letter from the person or institution providing you with money
• proof of funding paid from within Canada if you have a scholarship or are in a Canadian-funded educational program

e) Proof of Means of Financial Support (required)

If you are visiting Canada, you must prove that you can support yourself while you are in Canada. Provide as many of these documents as you can:

• your bank statements for the past four months
• a bank draft in convertible currency
• pay stubs
• an employment letter
• proof of assets or business
• proof of payment of tuition and accommodation fees
• tax reports, declarations or statements
• proof of a student/education loan from a financial institution
• a letter from the person or institution providing you with money
• proof of funding paid from within Canada, if you have a scholarship or are in a Canadian-funded educational program
• proof of a Canadian bank account in your name if money has been transferred to Canada

For this part, I just sent my bank statements for the past four months.

f) Digital Photo (required)

g) Purpose of Travel (required)

Examples of what you can provide as proof. This can include a scanned copy of:

• Your flight ticket departing Canada,
• Your travel itinerary (e.g. places you will visit or stay, such as hotel booking),
• Proof of a medical appointment.

I've bought the flight ticket before getting the visa, so I just sent my flight ticket departing Canada and my rough travel itinerary. My friend only sent the travel itinerary without the flight ticket and that was fine. 

h) Application for a Temporary Resident Visa 

You have to download this form and fill it up. This form is different from the first application form in Step 2.

Step 4: Pay the Application and Biometrics Fees (CAD $185)

Step 5: Give your fingerprints and photo (biometrics) 

You can give your biometrics at the nearest Application Support Center (ASC) in the US or visit this website for more information about where to give your biometrics. 

You can only complete this part after receiving the "biometrics collection letter" from the IRCC. They will notify you through email if you get that letter. Please bring that letter together with your passport to the biometrics location.

Step 6: Passport Submission

You can only submit your passport after getting the "original passport request" from the IRCC. To find out where to send your passport, please click here.

If you're applying from the US, you will have three options:

i. Submit your passport by courier to the Case Processing Centre (CPC) in Ottawa, Ontario (FedEx)

ii. Submit your passport by courier to the Visa Application Centre (VAC) in New York (I chose this option)

iii. Submit your passport by courier to the Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Los Angeles

The second and third options are cheaper than the first option because if you're sending your passport through the VACs, you will only need to pay for the domestic shipping (UPS or USPS). I spent about USD $15 for the priority 2-3 days shipping from USPS (return shipping is included). You may spend almost a hundred dollar if you choose the first option. 

If you choose the second or third option, you need to submit all these documents:

• Valid passport
• Passport request letter you received from IRCC;
• Passport transmission fees charged by the VAC (USD $19.99). They only accept money order or banker's check (not the regular check).
• full contact information (name, email, phone number, and full return address)
• the VAC consent forms (available on their website)
• a pre-paid return courier envelope (only UPS or USPS)

Please ensure that all these documents are complete before submitting them in order to avoid any delays. I submitted my passport on Feb 8 and received back my passport on Feb 24. I read so many bad reviews about the VAC as some applicants did not get their passports back for more than a month. This happened because they missed one or two documents. However, my visa application went very smoothly and I would recommend you guys to submit your passport through VAC in NY. I hope this post helps! All the best in your visa application!

Regards,

Aiza