July 22, 2011

Ten-year multiple-entry visa | Visiting Canada


Citizneship and Immigration Canada will now be issuing a ten-year multiple-entry visa. This is good news for parents and grandparents with sponsorship applications in process. Businessmen visting canada will benefit from this too.


“More applications and higher expectations mean that Citizenship and Immigration Canada needs a more responsive and flexible processing system,” said Minister Kenney. “To achieve that, the Department is providing applicants and staff with the right tools to deliver on those expectations.”

Citizens of certain countries require a visa to come to Canada temporarily. Currently, the maximum validity period of a multiple-entry visa is five years. However, increasingly, countries are issuing passports which are valid for ten years. In light of this, CIC is changing its policy for visa issuance. Where applicants apply for multiple-entry visas, they may now be issued to the maximum validity according to the length of the passport validity (up to ten years, minus one month). [Source]

Will Filipino applicants be given 10-year multiple-entry visa too? Unlikely. The Visa Office in Manila normally gives only 2-year multiple entry visa during the time that the maximum allowed is 5 years. Another reason why it is impossible is because our passports are valid only for 5 years.