Gaining entry to Canada for business purposes for Unites States citizens is easy as they do not necessarily need a visa. What if you want to enter Canada for business purposes and you do not reside in the United States?
If you are a business visitor, you need to obtain a business visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). See details below.
How to Gain Entry Into Canada as a Business Visitor
If you would like to go to Canada on business, you’ve got to understand what a business visitor is, what you’ll do as a business visitor, and the required documents to bring to enter Canada. Unless they’re visa-exempt, all visitors to Canada require a visitor visa to enter the country, no matter the sort of activities they’re going to pursue once in Canada. Business visitors must therefore apply for a short-lived resident visa (TRV), or visitor visa, to return to Canada.
Who is a Business Visitor?
You’re a business visitor if you:
- come to participate in international business activities without being a part of the Canadian labour market
- are visiting Canada temporarily to
- search for ways to grow your business
- invest
- advance your business relationships
Business visitors usually stay in Canada for a couple of days or a couple of weeks but are permitted to stay for up to six months.
How to Show You’re a Business Visitor
To qualify as a business visitor to Canada, you may want to show that:
- you propose to remain for fewer than 6 months
- you do not plan to enter the Canadian labour market
- your principal place of business and source of income and profits is outside Canada
- you’ve got documents that support your application
- you meet Canada’s basic entry requirements because you
- have a legitimate travel document, like a passport
- have enough money to sustain for you for the period of your stay and to the time of your return home
- decide to leave Canada at the top of your visit
- aren’t a criminal, security, or health risk to Canadians
Types of Activities You Can Partake in as a Business Visitor
Activities you’ll conduct as a business visitor include:
- purchasing Canadian goods or services for a foreign business or government
- taking orders for goods or services
- getting to meetings, conferences, conventions, or trade fairs
- giving after-sales service as a part of a guaranty or sale
- being trained by a Canadian parent company that you simply work for outdoor Canada
- training employees of a Canadian branch of an overseas company
- being trained by a Canadian company that has sold you equipment or services
Under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, a U.S. or Mexican national can also participate in other activities, like marketing, research, and general services
What You Need to Enter Canada
If you’re a business visitor, you will either need a visitor visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to return to Canada. You’ll also have to provide your fingerprints and photo (biometrics) if applying for a visitor visa.
Business visitors and business people aren’t the same. Business people are those who come to work in Canada under a trade agreement.
How to Apply for a Business Visitor Visa
There is no special visa for business visitors to Canada. Business visitors need to follow the traditional application procedure for a visitor visa, or TRV, and have to indicate that they’re entering Canada for international business activities. Business visitors could also be required to demonstrate proof of their activities to the border services officer at their port of entry.
Some business visitors could also be visa-exempt if they’re from visa-exempt countries. In these cases, the individual is likely to need an electronic travel authorization (eTA) if they arrive in Canada by air. Business visitors may bring relations with them to Canada, but each relative must complete their own visitor visa application.
What to Bring With You to Canada?
Make sure that you simply have the subsequent documents once you reach the border (don’t pack them in your suitcase):
- a passport or travel document that’s valid for your entire stay
- a legitimate visitor visa, if applicable
- if you need an eTA, you have to travel using the same exact passport you utilized in your application
- letters of support from your parent company and a letter of invitation from the Canadian host business or a Letter of Recognition from the Canada Border Services Agency
- other documents like warranty or service agreements, or contracts, if relevant to your visit
- 24-hour contact details of your business host in Canada
- proof that you simply have enough money for both your stay in Canada and your return home
