Five tips for applying for a visitor visa for Canada

Canada welcomed 22.1 million visitors in 2019 alone! There are various reasons why individuals apply for Temporary Resident Visas (TRV) in Canada. Many visit for tourism or to meet family or friends. Others visit for business purposes.

An overwhelming majority of business clients who contact me tend to visit not only for tourism but also to take advantage of their trips to Canada (even if for tourism) in order to explore business relationships and opportunities. For many business visitors, the trips are for business purposes only - such as business meetings or to attend trade shows and conferences.

One of the things that I love about Canada is that it has a lot to offer, not only for a friendly and easy vacation but also for businessmen and businesswomen who wish to develop relationships in order to grow their businesses back home by purchasing high-quality Canadian goods, equipment or by knowledge acquisition.

With the innovative and global-minded businesses in Ghana in this day and age, it is no wonder that Ghanaian businesses wish to enhance their operations by absorbing inputs from countries such as Canada. Concurrently, Canada is looking for successful business persons, such as those who come from Ghana, to use their inputs in the Ghanaian economy. It is a win-win situation for individuals from both countries.

Therefore, I thought to myself, why not write an article with some tips and tricks for Ghanaian business persons (and tourists) who wish to travel to Canada in order to put in strong applications to enhance their chances of success in getting their visitor visa… So without further ado, here are 5 tips that I have for you!

1. The purpose of visiting, when you are applying for a visitor visa for Canada, is extremely important. It is important to demonstrate to the visa officer exactly why you wish to go to Canada. The explanation is one of the key inputs in putting together a successful application.

2. It is important to highlight the ties you have to your home country. For many reading this article, these may include employment or business ties. But these also include financial, family, and social ties. Both formal and informal ties can be included. These ties will convince the visa officer that you will indeed return to your home country.

3. Do you have sufficient assets to fund your trip and return back home? The assets you must demonstrate will depend upon various factors affecting the cost of your trip such as purpose (costs of conferences or trade shows, for example), duration (the longer the trip, the greater the costs), accommodation, and other expenses.

4. Are you admissible to Canada? Do you have any immigration-related, criminal, or other issues which may deem you inadmissible? Are you in good health?

5. Have you submitted a comprehensive application package with the required forms or documents? Often, document checklists outline the bare minimum requirements that you must include with your application, and you must go above and beyond the documents listed. You must often get creative and ensure that you cover all the elements listed earlier to make it easier for the visa officer to make her or his decision.

I hope the above tips will help you assess whether your profile may have what it takes to put in a strong application.