To enter Canada to work or study, anyone who is neither a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident must apply for and be granted a temporary residence visa. Unless you are from a nation that is exempt from visa requirements, you must apply for a visiting or tourist visa if you just wish to travel to Canada.

A visiting visa has more restrictions than a work or study permit, which are only provided for carrying out or beginning certain activities in Canada. That does not, however, imply that there are no limitations on what you can and cannot do when visiting Canada.

Permitted list:

Come to Canada and stay there

First and foremost, a tourist visa enables you to travel to Canada. Your visitor visa grants you temporary legal status to live or travel anywhere in Canada once you are there. However, keep in mind that this is only a temporary situation. Visas for visitors may be granted for up to six months. The official issuing your visa will specify how long it will be valid in advance. Your visa will expire after the validity period is over, and you will no longer be able to legally enter Canada as a visitor.

Travelling through Canada

You can still require a Canadian visitor visa even if Canada is not your final destination but you must pass through it to get to your destination.

Look for Employment in Canada

Visitors are not explicitly barred from looking for work while they are in Canada, but visitor visas are not intended to be used as a means of doing so. In fact, finding a job domestically rather than abroad may be more successful because Canadian employers frequently prefer to meet potential hires in person. However, if you decide to look for employment while you have a visiting visa, bear the following in mind:

Never lie or withhold your travel motivation from an immigration official.
If your visiting visa expires, you will be required to demonstrate your purpose to return home.

Enroll in a brief course in Canada

Normally, in order to be able to study in Canada, you must obtain a study permission. However, if you match the following requirements, there are a few uncommon exclusions that let you to study in Canada on a visiting visa:

• The educational institution providing the course is not a DLI. 
• Less than six months make up the course or programme's duration. 
• The course stands alone as a standalone endeavor. 
• You'll finish the course before your visiting visa expires.

Submit a request to stay longer in Canada.

Visas for visitors may be granted for up to six months. But you can request an extension if you want to stay longer than your visa's initial period of validity. The immigration officer who is assessing your case will decide whether to grant the extension and how long it will last.

Perform business-related tasks

Even though you typically require a work permit to work in Canada, you can conduct some commercial operations while there as long as you don't immediately enter the labor market. 

You can, for instance:

• Purchase products or services from Canadian companies for a foreign company.
• Visit a company website.
• Upon invitation from a Canadian company, receive training in product use, sales, or other business-related activities.
• Meet and converse with individuals to begin and complete a business transaction.
   

Request a work permit

Typically, tourists to Canada are not permitted to apply for a work permit. The ability to apply for a work permit while in Canada on a visiting visa is provided by a temporary measure that is in effect until the end of February 2025 and allows travelers who are in the country with a legitimate job offer.

People who wanted to work in Canada used to have to apply for their initial work permit before they arrived, but this temporary policy change eliminates that requirement. If they had visitor status when they were granted a work permit, they would have to leave the country in order to receive their work permit. This policy eliminates the need to leave Canada.

Prohibited activities

Permanent stay

You can enter Canada with a visitor visa, which also grants you temporary legal residency there. You only keep that status, though, for the duration of the validity of your visa. On a visitor visa that is no longer valid, you are not permitted to remain in Canada.

Employed in Canada

To work in Canada, you must a valid work permit. You are not permitted to work in the nation with a visitor's visa. Therefore, while you are a tourist, you must take care to avoid engaging in any commercial activity that would allow you to enter the Canadian Labour market directly.

Study in Canada

You cannot study in Canada if you have a guest visa, with the exception of the circumstances mentioned above. To lawfully study in Canada in any other circumstances, you require a study permit.
 

Request a study permit

You cannot submit an application for a study permit from within Canada based on your tourist status. After you return home, you must start the application procedure for a student visa. If a tourist has a family member who is in possession of a current study or work permit for Canada, there is an exception to this rule that permits the visitor to submit an application from within Canada.
 

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