Croatia: Visitor Visa Exempted

By law, all visitors to Canada require a temporary resident visa, except citizens of countries that were granted visitor visa exemption.

Just recently, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced that visitors from Croatia will no longer be required to obtain a temporary resident visa.

The Government of Canada conducted a comprehensive country review of Croatia, including a technical visit in December 2008. Visa policy decisions are based on a country-by-country assessment of a number of criteria such as socio-economic profile, immigration issues, travel documents, safety and security issues, border management, human rights, and bilateral relations.

“Removing the visa requirement will facilitate travel for Croatian citizens to Canada and will help improve ties between our two countries” said Minister Kenney.[Source]

For the updated list of countries with visitor visa exemption, click here.

Visitor Visa Exemption - Visiting Canada

There are certain group of people who are exempted from visa requirement in visiting Canada. Unlike Filipino Citizens visiting Canada, the following people are no longer required to apply for visitor visa.

citizens of Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel (National Passport holders only), Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia (Republic of), Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States, and Western Samoa;

persons lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who are in possession of their alien registration card (Green card) or can provide other evidence of permanent residence;

British citizens and British Overseas Citizens who are re-admissible to the United Kingdom;

citizens of British dependent territories who derive their citizenship through birth, descent, registration or naturalization in one of the British dependent territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena or the Turks and Caicos Islands;

persons holding a British National (Overseas) Passport issued by the Government of the United Kingdom to persons born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong;

persons holding a valid and subsisting Special Administrative Region passport issued by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China;

persons holding passports or travel documents issued by the Holy See.

The above list of Visitor Visa Exemptions may be updated from time to time. Just recently, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced that Visitors from Croatia no longer require visa to come to Canada. So to get the updated list, please refer to Citizneship and Immigration Canada official website: http://cic.gc.ca

UPDATES
July 13, 2009 - Canada imposes a visa on the Czech Republic and Mexico
Nov 23, 2010 - Canada lifts visa requirement for visitors from Taiwan

New Embassy Fee Exchange Rate

Effetive November 10, 2008, Canadian Visa Office in Manila will implement a lower exchange rate for its embassy fee or what it calls Immigration Recover Fee from Php42 to a C$1 down to Php40.

Immigration Cost Recovery Fees (in effect as of November 10, 2008)
	CAD$	PHP
I. Permanent Resident Visas
Skilled Worker applicants
Principal applicant	$550	22,000
A family member of the principal applicant who is 22 years of age or older, or is less than 22 years of age and is a spouse or common-law partner	$550	22,000
A family member of the principal applicant who is less than 22 years of age and is not a spouse or common-law partner	$150	6,000
Investor, Entrepreneur or Self-employed Persons Class applicants
Principal applicant	$1,050	42,300
A family member of the principal applicant who is 22 years of age or older, or is less than 22 years of age and is a spouse or common-law partner	$550	22,000
A family member of the principal applicant who is less than 22 years of age and is not a spouse or common-law partner	$150	6,000
Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF)	$490	19,500
Note that for Family Class applicants, the Right of Permanent Residence Fee must be paid by the sponsor from within Canada. The visa cannot be issued until this fee is paid. The RPRF fee is payable by principal applicants (with the following exceptions) and accompanying spouses and common-law partners. Exceptions: Dependent children of a principal applicant or sponsor, a child to be adopted, or an orphaned brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild; and protected persons, including Convention refugees
II. Temporary Resident Visas	CAD$	PHP
Visitors (including re-entry and seafarer applications)
Single entry to Canada	$75	3,000
Multiple entry	$150	6,000
Family rate for either single or multiple entry (all family members must apply at the same time and place, no limit to the total number of family members)	$400	16,000
Work Permits
Work permit	$150	6,000
Work permit - Group of 3 or more performing artists	$450	18,000
Study Permits	$125	5,000
III. Other	CAD$	PHP
Temporary Resident Permit	$200	8,000
Replacing a Visa	$30	1,200
Return to Canada (for Permanent Residents) - Travel Document	$50	2,000
Application processing fee, if inadmissible on the grounds of serious criminality	$1,000	40,000
Application processing fee, if inadmissible on the grounds of criminality	$200	8,000
Authorization to return to Canada after removal	$400	16,000
Repayment of removal expenses
To the U.S.A. and St. Pierre and Miquelon	$750	30,000
To any other country	$1,500	60,000

Embassy fee changes from time to time. For updated embassy fee, you may check manila.gc.ca.

Live and work in Canada: Application processing shortcuts

There are those who are looking for shortcuts to live and work in Canada. Most of them are asking for information about fiance visa or tourist visa application with the end in view of working in Canada.

But will that really work?

There is no fiance visa category in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of Canada. And getting married with a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Residents in Canada is not a guarantee that you will be given a permanent resident status, too. Well, there are those who are able to exploit the system, but there is a great chance that if marriage was just done for convenience, it will be caught.

Now comes the other shortcut - tourist visa application. There are those who visit Canada and work there even without a work permit. That is illegal.

If if you are already in Canada on a temporary resident visa, you must apply for a work permit first before you should work. You can actually apply for a work permit from within or inside Canada if:

you have a valid study or work permit, or your spouse or parents have a study or work permit

you have a work permit for one job but want to apply for a work permit for a different job

you have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more or

you are in Canada because you have already applied for permanent residence from inside Canada. You will have to pass certain stages in the main application process before you can be eligible for a work permit.

And of course, you must have a valid job offer or a Labor Market Opinion (LMO). In some cases, LMO is not required to get a work permit.

For list of jobs in Canada that require a work permit but not LMO, click here.

To get updates about application process to live and work in Canada from Canada Visa Application Online Resource, subscribe visa email here.

Canada Visa

Canada Visa, specifically Canadian Permanent Resident Visa, is one of most sought-after visa nowadays by many Filipinos. Canadian permanent residents and citizens enjoy all of the same rights and privileges like, free health care, free elementary and secondary education, etc. It will also make your access to visit U.S.A. easier.

But immigration is just one way of getting a Canada Visa. The following are the types of Visa you may apply for depending on your circumstances:

Temporary Resident Visa.
More than 5 million people visit Canada every year. Depending on your citizenship, you may need a Temporary Resident Visa. To check if you need a Canada Visa , click here.

If you plan of visiting Canada, you must:

have a valid travel document, such as a passport

be in good health

satisfy an immigration officer that you have ties, such as a job, home and family, that will take you back to your country of origin

satisfy an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit and

have enough money for your stay. The amount of money you will need can vary with the circumstances of the visit, how long you will stay and whether you will stay in a hotel or with friends or relatives.

Here's a guide for Filipinos visiting Canada and information about tourist visa application.

Student Visa
More than 130,000 students come to study in Canada every year and even more come to Canada to learn English or French. To study in Canada, you may need a study permit or a temporary resident visa, though not everyone must have these documents.

To be eligible to study in Canada:

You must have been accepted by a school, college, university or other educational institution in Canada.

You must prove that you have enough money to pay for your:

tuition fees

living expenses for yourself and any family members who come with you to Canada and

return transportation for yourself and any family members who come with you to Canada.

You must be a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record and not be a risk to the security of Canada. You may have to provide a police certificate.

You must be in good health and willing to complete a medical examination, if necessary.

You must satisfy an immigration officer that you will leave Canada when you have completed your studies.

Work Visa
Every year, over 90,000 foreign workers enter Canada to work temporarily in jobs that help Canadian employers address skill shortages, or as live-in caregivers. A work permit is needed for most temporary jobs in Canada, though for some positions and business people it is not necessary. You may apply for a work permit from outside Canada or inside Canada.

To apply for a work permit from outside Canada, you must submit the following documents:

a job offer from a Canadian employer

a completed application, that shows that you meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, and

written confirmation from Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) that the employer can hire a foreign worker to fill the job. This confirmation is called a positive labour market opinion.

You can only apply for a work permit from inside Canada if:

you have a valid study or work permit, or your spouse or parents have a study or work permit

you have a work permit for one job but want to apply for a work permit for a different job

you have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more or

you are in Canada because you have already applied for permanent residence from inside Canada. You will have to pass certain stages in the main application process before you can be eligible for a work permit.

Here's work permit related news and articles.

Business Visa
For Canada Visa application, I have a separate here: Canada Business Immigration Program.

For your queries about Canadian Visa Application, please feel free to leave your comments here.

Information Regarding your Temporary Resident Visa

I filed two Temporary Resident Visa Applications last month and both were approved. Their applications were filed one after another with one week interval. Interestingly, the visa of the first application I filed was released only this morning. It took 27 working days! Normally, the result is being released within 15 working days. The other visa was released last week.

What caused the delay? I have no idea.:-) But just the same, here's a photo of their visa-

A couple from Olongapo
A client from Bataan

But is a valid temporary resident visa a guarantee of entry into Canada?

The answer is NO.

A valid temporary resident visa is not a guarantee of entry into Canada; an officer at the port of entry will decide if you still meet the requirements for admission when you arrive. If there has been a change in circumstances between the date of your application and your arrival in Canada or if subsequent information is given which was not originally available to the visa office, you may be refused entry.

You must arrive in Canada on or before the date printed under "EXPIRY DATE" on your visa.

Your single-entry visa will allow you repeated entries to Canada from the USA within the period authorized for your stay in Canada. The authorized period of stay is the time granted by the port of entry officer at the time of yoru entry to Canada.

*If you are planning to visit Canada, please also read: Canada Visa Application Guide for Filipinos.

Visiting Canada | Canadian Tourist Visa Application

There are three types of Canadian tourist visa application if you are planning of visiting Canada. These are-

Single-entry visa allows one entry only to Canada within the validity of the visa.

Multiple-entry visa allows unlimited entries to Canada within the validity of the visa.

Transit visa allows for a short stop-over (maximum 48 hours) entry to Canada en route to another country. It can be granted for a single or multiple entries, depending on the applicant’s travel requirements. Example: If your return travel is also through Canada, you should request a transit visa valid for two entries.

Most of the information you need in Canadian tourist visa application (temporary resident visa) may be found here. Application forms may be downloaded here.

You may also want to consider the following tips on tourist visa application based on our experience:

1. Purpose of your visit. This is what I consider the most crucial part of your application. Why are you visiting Canada? Depending on your purpose, you may be required to submit a letter of invitation

2. Strong Ties to the Philippines. One of the major considerations by a Visa Officer whether to issue you a visa or not is if you will return the Philippines after the period given allowing you to stay in Canada. Considering the present situation in the Philippines and the opportunities in Canada, the Visa Officer may come up with 1,001 reasons why you will not return to the Philippines. If you're unemployed, within the working age bracket, and your purpose in visiting Canada is for instance to have a vacation, that sends a very bad signal.

3. Supporting documents. The Canada Visa Officer will review and make a decision on your application based on the documents you submit. It is important to submit sufficient verifiable documents.

The documents to be provided by the person inviting you to visit Canada varies depending on the purpose of your visit. For you to establish strong ties to the Philippines, proof of assets, employment, business, etc. is needed.

You may file your application direct to Canadian Embassy. Just follow the instructions in the application kit and submit the appropriate documents.

If you want our help, here's how to Apply for Canadian Tourist Visa.

Tourist Visa Application Approved Even With Limited Docuents Submitted

I assisted a client in applying for temporary resident visa to visit her son in Canada. It's a tough case and I told my client not to expect too much. She said it is still worth a try. And so we did.

She doesn't have formal employment for the last 20 years and doesnt have much cash in bank. Her son just landed in Canada early 2007 with his wife and 3 kids. Her son's wife gave birth on 2nd week of December. The reason why my client wants to visit Canada is actually to take care of her son's wife and kids.

The theme of the invitation letter and the cover letter we sent to visa officer focus on humanitarian and compassionate consideration. Being honest really makes a difference. She received her visa today!

*If you are planning to visit Canada, please also read: Canada Visa Application Guide for Filipinos.

Change in Embassy Imposed Exchange Rate

Starting January 14, 2008, the Canadian Embassy Manila will impose a lower exchange rate for its processing fees from P45 to a Canadian dollar down to P 42 a dollar.



Thanks to Overseas Filipino Workers' dollar remittances, Philippine peso is getting stronger.

Canadian Embassy Manila's New Processing Fee Rate

The peso on Wednesday rallied to its highest in nearly six years at 49.185 before closing at 49.195 to a dollar on the influx of overseas remittances and investment inflows after the four-day Christmas holiday break.

While Philippine Peso is getting better, it is still a question wether it will help uplift the life of common Filipino people. But that's another story. While the government is rejopicing over this, relatives of OFW's wouldn't be as happy as this would mean they'll get less. What an irony.:-)

But there's another reason to be happy at least for those planning to file an application for permanent residence in Canada. Embassy-imposed rate for processing fee shall be reduced from P45 to a C$1 down to P43 effective January 22, 2007.

More information here