If you are planning to travel to Canada, you must apply for a visa, as Canada requires a visa for foreigners wishing to enter its territory. The type of visa you need depends on the reason for your trip: study, tourism or work.
Before starting with the visa application, you must have an active passport. If you do not have it, you can apply for it at the offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs located in Bogota or at the authorized governors’ offices for this procedure. Here you can consult the one that corresponds to your city in Colombia. It is important to note that the passport cannot be six months or less from its expiration date.
The Visa application for Canada is done virtually and payments are made in Canadian dollars.
Canadian Visa Type
As we mentioned, before applying for a Canadian visa, it is important to be clear about which visa is the most appropriate for your trip. The following are the most common ones:
Visitor visa: short term visa, can live in Canada for six months. It is ideal for tourist plans, it does not allow for work or study activities.
Work Visa: there are two types of Canadian work visas. One of them is when the person has a defined job and a contract to be signed. The other type of visa, called an Open Work Visa, refers to a work permit in Canada for employment in any position that is available. The Open Work Visa can be applied for when you are in the country with a temporary residence or in the process of applying for a permanent residence.
Study Visa: the study permit allows you to attend elementary, secondary or vocational programs in different parts of Canada.
How to apply for a Canadian Visa for Colombians?
In Colombia, the visa process can be done virtually or in person, but regardless of the form in which it is requested, the following requirements must be taken into account:
- Internet access to fill out visa application forms
- International credit card for payment
- Bank statements showing that you have the financial capacity to support yourself in Canada.
- Supporting documents according to the type of visa you are applying for
Once this is clear, on this page you can download and fill out the form to apply for a Visa to Canada. It is very important to be clear about the purpose of the trip, in order to identify what type of visa you need to apply for: tourism, study or work. Depending on the type of visa, a specific form is downloaded and filled out. It is recommended to fill out the form from the computer.
Be sure to answer all the boxes on the form, do not leave any blank, in case any of them do not apply, simply write N/A which means: Not Applicable.
When you finish filling out the form, at the top of the form, you will find a button that says “validate”, which you must click to generate the document with barcode and print it in order to sign it. Afterwards, you can scan it and upload it back to the platform to continue the application process virtually or, on the contrary, take it in person to one of the visa application centers located in the main cities of Colombia and continue the process in person. Find out more about Visa Application Centers here
Canadian Visa Requirements for Colombians
The following is a step-by-step guide to apply for a Canadian Visa:
- Active Passport
- Be clear on the type of visa to apply for: Study, work, travel
- Fill out the online application form
- Have the supporting documents as per the IRCC document checklist for your visa category. Consult them here
- Fill out the Consent Form, which you can find here
- Once you apply for a visa and submit supporting documents, you will need to schedule an appointment to submit biometric information (fingerprint and photo records) at a Visa Application Center. You will be notified of the appointment information via e-mail. If you are applying for a family group visa, you must make an appointment for each family member. There are some exceptions in which it is not necessary to submit biometric information. Check here if you are part of the exceptions .
- Payment of fees: another requirement is to pay the visa application fee. Government of Canada fee and biometric fee (if applicable) on the website find fee information.
- Track application: once you submit your application and fee payment, you will receive a notification with a tracking ID to track the status of your application.
How much does the Canadian Visa cost?
In 2020 a fee increase was presented, since then Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) defined that the fee would increase every 2 years according to inflation.
Therefore, as of April 30, 2022, the IRCC has increased the fees for permanent residency, but if you wish to apply for temporary residency, these are the corresponding fees:
Visitor Visa
Per person $100 Canadian dollars
Family: 5 or more persons $500 Canadian dollars
Biometrics per person $85 Canadian dollars
Study Permits
Study visa per person $150 Canadian dollars
Renewal of study visa $350 Canadian dollars
Biometrics $85 Canadian dollars
Work Permits
Working visa per person $155 Canadian dollars
Work visa for group of 3 or more persons $ 465 Canadian dollars
Open work permit $100 Canadian dollars
Renewal $ 355 U.S. dollars
Biometrics $85 Canadian dollars
Residence Permit
Temporary Resident Permit $200 Canadian dollars
Visa Attorneys
At Servicio Legal we have the best lawyers who are experts in all types of visa procedures in Colombia. If you need legal advice for your visa application, talk to one of our lawyers now. We are visa experts and we know how to help you.
Cybergraphy
https://visa.vfsglobal.com/col/es/can/apply-visa
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application.html
https://tramitesdecolombia.com/visados/america/canada/visa-canadiense-para-colombianos/