List of documents for obtaining a visa to Canada

Posted by Avisa:   12.02.2020

Ukrainians must apply for a visa in advance to visit Canada. The most common type of visa is a Temporary Resident Visa, which is usually issued for tourism, business meetings or visits to exhibitions and conferences, training for up to 6 months, language courses, visits to relatives or friends, and transit through the country.

To get a visa to Canada you need to collect a small package of documents.

The following is a list of documents that are needed in all cases;

• A valid passport, with two blank pages, which expires at least 6 months after the end date of the intended trip to Canada,
• One digital photo which is only needed if you apply online,
• The completed application form of the temporary resident must be filled out in English or French and signed personally by the applicant. If you submit documents online, signature is not needed,
• Family questionnaire - "Family Information",
• Additional "Schedule 1" questionnaire if needed,
• An additional "Common-law" questionnaire must be filled out if you are married,
• Official confirmation of your income or income of your sponsor, if the trip is paid for by someone else. It can be a certificate from work, a tax return, or statements from the salary account,
• Confirmation of the balance in your bank account as well as the account statement for the last 6 months. The recommended amount in the bank account per person is $3000.

Additional documents may be needed for your tourist visa to Canada;

• Hotel reservations,
• Itinerary of the trip or booked tour,
• If you intend to travel for business, all documents supporting the reason and purpose of your business,
• An invitation from business partners or the company you intend to visit in Canada,
• A ticket to the exhibition or confirmation of your participation in a conference or seminar,
• Additional documents for those who have the purpose of visiting relatives or friends,
• An invitation from a relative or friend written in free form. It is not necessary to have this invitation notarized,
• A scan of the document confirming the identity and status of a relative or friend,
• Financial documents of a relative or friend are needed if they sponsor your trip.

A transit visa to Canada for Ukrainians is issued with a minimum package of documents, but it is necessary to provide tickets that indicate the final destination, as well as the presence of a visa to the country of destination (if necessary).

For pensioners, the following additional documents are required;

• Retirement card,
• Pension statement for the last 6 months,

For students, the following documents are required;

• A certificate from the school indicting the status of the student,
• Sponsorship documents from parents confirming the financial ability to pay for the student’s trip,
• If a student is under the age of 18 and travels with a parent or a third party, a notarized consent document from the parents or legal guardian to take the student out of Ukraine

All documents must be translated into English or French.

A visa application to Canada usually takes 3 weeks (a week is spent on the preparation of documents and two weeks for consideration of documents by the Embassy), but sometimes the procedure is delayed for a longer period of time. Unfortunately, even for an additional fee, the Embassy of Canada does not review the documents quickly.  Therefore, please start preparing well in advance.  Already purchased tickets or letters requesting urgent consideration will not affect the decision of the Embassy.