Visitors visa (temporary resident visa) is an official document issued by the Canadian government on your passport to show you are allowed to travel to Canada. Most visitors require this visa to travel to Canada. Depending on your nationality, you may not need a visa to travel to Canada (visa exempt countries). Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is required from visa exempt countries (Australia, France, Britain including US and permanent resident of US). Typically, temporary resident visa holders are allowed to stay in Canada for 6 months. However, it is important to note that an Immigration officer has the discretion to fix visitors length of stay in Canada.

Types of Temporary Visas – There are 4 types of temporary visas:

• Single entry visa – issued to visitors whose purpose of entry to Canada is limited (e.g., international tournaments).
• Multiple entry visa – starting from February 2014, applicants for visas to Canada are automatically considered for a 10 years multiple visa or matched with the length of validity of their passport. Though, 10 years multiple entry visa might be issued, but the visitor is not allowed to stay in Canada for 10 years in one entry. Typically, 6 months is allowed at a one entry, but the immigration officer has the discretion to fix a different duration for a visitor based on certain conditions.
• Transit visa – issued to those who are only traveling through Canada to another country. The visitor is required to show tickets of final destination (must not be Canada) and allowed to remain in Canada for up to 48 hours. Countries who are members of transit without visa program with the government of Canada are exempt from transit visa.  
• Super visa – issued to visitors who are parents and grandparents of  Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Super visa is typically issued for 10 years, it allows multiples entry and holder can remain in Canada for up to 2 years in one entry. 

The process described above is overly simplified for easy understanding for those who want a quick synopsis of the process. The actual process is a little complex than as described above, which is where we come in to give you a hand.