Travel visas have always been a headache for “weak” passport holders, but with an F-1 student visa in the U.S., applying for a Canadian travel visa can be so much easier! In this article, you will find everything that you need to know about applying for a Canadian travel visa as a U.S. F-1 visa holder.
*I am a Chinese national with an F-1 student visa in the U.S., no green card acquired.
Who needs a travel visa to Canada?
Wait! Before you read… your passport might not need a visa at all if you want to visit Canada! Click on the picture below to find out whether you need a travel visa to Canada:
With a travel visa, you can stay in Canada for at most 6 months consecutively. The visa will be in effect for from 6 months – 10 years, depending on how much the Canadian government trusts your application.
Note that the travel visa is only used for sightseeing and friend-visiting purposes. If you are going on a work trip, study, for marriage, etc., please seek out different visa types! You only need a transit visa, NOT a travel visa, if your layover in Canada is no more than 48 hours, and you’re not leaving the airport. Some countries and regions (Taiwan, for example), only requires an Electronic Travel authorization (eTA) if you enter Canada from the U.S. See more information here.
Start your application
After making sure that you do need a visa, it’s time to register for a travel visa application account on the IRCC website. The link is here. The website is a little laggy, so you might find yourself going in cycles of the same pages when you log in. Be patient and try some more times; it actually works!
Prepare your materials
It is suggested that you prepare all the materials you need for submission before uploading them to the portal altogether. But first, you will need to download a form from your IRCC portal: IMM5257. The instruction on how to fill out this form is here. You need to fill out this form in English.
Then you will need to prepare the following documents (save as a check list!):
- Bank statement (recent 3 months; should not use investment money, i.e. money that can’t be used but is being saved)
- Certificate of work (if you do not have a job, i.e. you’re a student, then, you will need to have a sponsor letter from your parents, the format of which can be found upon emailing me at amieezhao0@gmail.com)
- 35mm by 45 mm photo with a white, clear background, showing your eyes, ears, nose, neck, and shoulders (I took this picture myself; the picture won’t show up on your visa)
- Travel itinerary, plane tickets, and hotel information (You DON’T have to actually buy the tickets – attaching screenshots of the tickets you PLAN to buy would be sufficient, the format of which can be found upon emailing me at amieezhao0@gmail.com)
- College acceptance letter
- International physical examination records (use your records for registration at your university)
- Passport biography page picture and U.S. F-1 visa page picture
- I-20 (Both pages need to be uploaded; TRAVEL SIGNATURE from your university’s international student office is required)
- U.S. SEVIS record (ask your university’s international student office if you forgot where it is)
- Optional travel history (Past travel VISAs to different countries on your passport. I used my VISAs to Japan, Schengen countries, Singapore, and U.S. B-1. This is optional and only used to increase your trustworthiness. If you upload this, you might have a better chance of getting a visa with a longer valid time.)
- Optional cover letter (If you’re visiting a friend in Canada, you can ask them to provide their invitation, home address, etc. to increase your trustworthiness.)
After you have gathered your materials, upload them and submit your application. Then, you will receive an email requesting your fingerprinting.
Who needs a fingerprinting service?
In a word, if you have not travelled to Canada before, you need a fingerprinting service. Your fingerprints for the U.S. or your home country DON’T count. If you’re in the U.S., you should make an appointment with local USCIS or VFS on their official websites. Note that you should make your appointment at least TWO MONTHS BEFORE YOUR TRAVEL. Appointments can be really busy, and you wouldn’t want to miss your travel!
Upon your appointment, you will need to bring your appointment confirmation letter (printed) and your passport. Preferably your I-20 as well. The appointment should take you no more than half an hour.
After your appointment, you should receive your Original Passport Request and the Correspondence Letter on your IRCC portal.
Yay! Visa acquired – It just has to be on your passport.
Now, it’s time to mail your passport so that you can actually have your approved Canadian travel visa on your passport. You should mail your passport, a return label, and a consent form to VFS. The consent form and mailing details are linked here. I would only trust FedEx and UPS for an efficient and safe delivery.
There are two VFS centers located in the U.S., one in New York City and the other in Los Angeles. Generally, unless you live in states like California, Oregon, or Washington, you should mail your passport to the VFS in NYC.
The turnaround time should be about one week after you mail your passport. Then, you get to travel!
It took me about 50 days from the beginning of my application process till I got my visa on my passport. And Canadian travel visa is already one of the easier visas for F-1 visa holders. So plan early!