Temporary stays in Canada

Well before the expiry date — months, not weeks. Processing times move, and the safe assumption is that they are longer than the last time you checked. Applying early also matters because, in defined circumstances, a complete application submitted before expiry lets you keep your current conditions while it is processed. Whether that applies to your status is precisely the kind of question we route to our partner lawyers, members of the Quebec Bar, or a regulated immigration consultant.

Both allow a visit, but they are built for different situations. A visitor visa is the general instrument; the Super Visa is designed for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and allows much longer stays per entry. The Super Visa carries its own requirements around a host’s income and private medical insurance.

Not by itself. What matters is why, and whether the new application addresses it. Prior refusals have to be declared, and a file that quietly repeats the earlier one rarely fares better. Reading a refusal properly and deciding how to respond is regulated legal work; our part is making sure the underlying documentation is complete before that conversation happens.

Sometimes. Moving from visitor to student, or from one permit to another, is possible in defined circumstances and impossible in others — it depends on the status you hold, the conditions attached to it, and where you are when you apply. This is a determination for a regulated professional, and it is worth making before you travel rather than after.

There is no single number. Requirements vary with the category you apply under, the length of the stay, the number of people travelling and where you apply from, and several thresholds are indexed and change. We tell you which evidence your file needs and in what form; the amount itself comes from the current published requirement, never from memory.

Not automatically, but time spent in Canada on a study or work permit counts in several permanent programmes. If permanent residence is the eventual goal, say so at the start — decisions made about a temporary stay can help or hinder it later.

Not usually, and in several categories leaving at the wrong moment is the thing that causes the problem rather than solving it. Applications to extend are commonly made from inside the country, and travelling while one is pending can have consequences for the status you are relying on. Whether that is true of your particular case is a determination for a regulated professional — which is a good reason to ask before booking a flight rather than after.