There are two ways to apply for a visa to Canada:
- Through the Visa Centre of Canada;
- Online to a website at the Canadian Embassy.
What does online filing mean?
On-line filing means that you can fill out your application, attach your scanned documents and photos and pay the consular fee online on Canada's official website.
Pros:
- You can create an account where you can attach all the documents that you consider necessary in order to improve your chances of obtaining a visa. if you apply through the Visa Center, documents which are not listed may not be accepted. Often, the visa center staff work strictly according to the instructions which is not always an advantage for the applicant;
- You can apply at any time of the day without queuing at the Visa Centre;
- When you enter your application, you do not need to surrender your passport. This is very convenient for those people who are scheduled to travel abroad while their application is being considered;
- You have unlimited access to your personal account where you will be able to independently monitor the progress of your application. If the Embassy needs additional information, you will immediately be able to provide it online without visiting the Visa Center.
- When your visa is approved, you will be given 30 days to bring your passport to the Visa Center for a visa sticker;
- Your application could be considered in one day and you may know the result immediately.
Cons:
- The website for filing your application online is in English and French. If you do not speak either of these languages most likely it will be difficult to understand, and mistakes are common;
- All documents must be scanned individually; the size of one document should not exceed 4MB. Since you cannot download all the documents in one pdf file, the documents need to be filed in the appropriate folders. Our experience indicates that most people do not do this process correctly and a lot of time is spent correcting wrong placement of documentation.
- As with many websites, the site sometimes does not work properly. Many people don’t understand that the site can have a glitch and they become nervous and in a panic. We know that generally there is nothing wrong with the site. It just takes some experience and patience to get the site to work properly.
In our professional opinion, we see more pros than cons in online filing and in most cases, we recommend applying for a visa for our clients this way. Our 5 years of experience with this online process will help you file your application easily and quickly.
