Business visitors must remain outside the Canadian labour market.
Permitted purpose
Short meetings, conferences, events or international business where the main place of business and source of income normally remain outside Canada.
Work-permit boundary
Hands-on work, productive labour, fulfilling a Canadian contract or providing services to a Canadian entity may require a work permit even for a short trip.
Evidence
Carry the foreign-employer letter, Canadian invitation, meeting or event details, itinerary, accommodation, funds and proof of the ongoing foreign business or employment.
Border decision
A business-visitor label does not guarantee admission. CBSA assesses the actual activities, duration and labour-market impact at entry.
Build one consistent evidence package around the real purpose of travel.
- 01
Provide passport pages and travel history, civil-status records, proof of lawful residence in the country of application, and compliant translations of non-English/French documents.
- 02
Use a focused purpose letter covering the exact reason, dates, itinerary, accommodation, who pays, cost estimate, employment or study leave and the planned return.
- 03
Show available funds and their source with reliable records. Explain large or recent deposits; the host’s funds do not replace the applicant’s own circumstances unless the support plan is credible and documented.
- 04
Include the host’s invitation, identity/status, address, relationship and financial evidence where relevant. An invitation supports the purpose but never guarantees approval.
- 05
Match evidence to purpose: tourism itinerary; family relationship and event; business meetings and foreign employment; compassionate medical/family evidence; or sponsored-spouse AOR and continuing temporary-visit compliance.
- 06
For a minor travelling alone or with one parent, include custody documents and a signed consent letter where applicable. Never submit a purchased invitation, invented job or altered bank evidence.
Apply through the correct IRCC account and complete every requested step.
- 01
Use the official travel-document checker first. Visitor, family, business, compassionate, super-visa and transit applications can use the applicable IRCC Portal route; some applicants use the IRCC secure account.
- 02
Answer the questionnaire accurately and use the document checklist created for the applicant’s nationality, location and purpose. Paper applications are limited to specified situations.
- 03
Upload readable documents, pay the live processing and biometrics fees, submit before any deadline and keep the payment receipt and full copy of the filed package.
- 04
After submission, book biometrics promptly if instructed and monitor the account for medical, interview, additional-document or procedural-fairness requests.
- 05
Approval of an online TRV application normally leads to passport-submission instructions. The applicant cannot travel on the approval letter alone; the visa must be placed in the passport.
- 06
If refused, read the reasons and officer record strategy before reapplying. Re-submitting the same facts and documents rarely fixes purpose, finance, ties or credibility concerns.
Approval allows travel; CBSA makes the entry and stay decision.
A valid multiple-entry visa may remain usable after one trip, but every arrival is a new examination and every stay has its own expiry date.
Port-of-entry review
The officer may ask about purpose, funds, accommodation, return plan, health, criminal history, work/study intentions and goods.
Authorized stay
Most visitors are admitted for up to 6 months. A stamp or visitor record can set a shorter or longer date, and passport expiry can shorten the stay.
No stamp
Current IRCC visitor-visa guidance says the deadline is generally the earliest of 6 months after entry, passport expiry and, where applicable, biometrics expiry. Keep entry evidence and confirm the date for the individual traveller.
Carry-on evidence
Keep passport, visa/eTA, invitation, itinerary, insurance, funds and purpose evidence accessible—not in checked luggage.
Official sources & application
The practical answer is in this guide; use these links to verify live changes and apply officially.
Ghasedak explains the eligibility, evidence, process and important cautions in plain language. Because laws, forms, fees and filing methods can change, also check the live official instructions on the day you submit. This is general information, not individual legal advice.