Visit Canada: Visitor Visa, Visitor Record, eTA and TRP

Canada uses several different immigration documents for temporary residents. A Visitor Visa (TRV), Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), Visitor Record and Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) serve different purposes and should not be confused with one another.

Choosing the correct application is particularly important when extending your stay or dealing with an immigration or admissibility issue.

Visitor Visa — Temporary Resident Visa

A Visitor Visa, also known as a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), is a travel document placed in a passport that allows a visa-required foreign national to travel to Canada and seek entry.

Applicants generally need to demonstrate the temporary purpose of their visit, sufficient financial resources and reasons to leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay.

Electronic Travel Authorization — eTA

An eTA is an electronic travel authorization primarily used by eligible visa-exempt foreign nationals travelling to Canada by air.

An eTA is different from a Visitor Visa and does not itself determine how long a person may remain in Canada.

Visitor Record

A Visitor Record is not a visa.

It is a status document generally used to extend a person’s authorized stay in Canada as a visitor or to change from worker or student status to visitor status where eligible.

Temporary Resident Permit — TRP

A Temporary Resident Permit should not be confused with a Temporary Resident Visa.

A TRP may be issued in limited circumstances to a foreign national who is inadmissible or otherwise does not meet the requirements of Canadian immigration law but has compelling reasons to enter or remain temporarily in Canada. Issuance is discretionary.

How We Can Help

Topic Immigration assists with visitor visa applications, visitor status extensions, change of status, restoration-related matters, eTA-related immigration questions, TRP applications and applications following previous refusals.

Not Sure Which Temporary Resident Application You Need?

Contact Topic Immigration before submitting the wrong application or allowing your temporary status to expire.