If you have plans to travel to Canada from any African country, you will need a visa. Without this document, you cannot board the plane or travel to your destination.
Luckily, it’s possible to apply for a Canadian visa from anywhere in Africa. But before you can get this document, you will have to meet some requirements. On top of that, you will have to take the right steps to complete your visa application.
Do you want to know how to get a Canadian visa on your own and without having to pay an agent? If yes, you can use this guide to know the items and steps needed to get one.
How to Apply for Canada Visa
Here are the requirements needed for a successful Canadian visa application. Although this guide offers useful information, you should seek additional advice from the Canadian Embassy. After all, the Canadian authorities might make changes to the requirements.
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(1) Determine Your Preferred Choice of Visa
As there are different types of visas, you will need one that suits your needs. For instance, intending students will need students visas while tourists should consider visitor visas.
(2) Ensure You Have the Right Documents
When you have chosen your preferred visa, you will have to get the right documents for your visa application.
- The original and copies of the first page of your passport
- A copy of your ID card
- Proof of ties to your country (Letter of employment, marriage certificate, property documents)
- Certificate of your educational institution ( if you are applying as a student)
- Marriage Certificate or Dissolution Documents ( for divorced applicants)
- Bank Certificate
- Copies of previous visas with entry and exit stamps
- Your Bank Statements
- Passport Photograph ( in the recommended size and format)
- Details of travel itinerary ( hotel accommodation, ticket booking)
- A Letter inviting you to Canada
- Application forms
- Proof of payments for the application process
(3) Apply for the Visa
There are various ways that you can get a Canadian visa – in person or via an online portal.
If you want to apply in person
- Log on to the VFS Global website
- Download and fill the visa application form
- Print the completed form with barcoded sheets on white glossy paper. To these documents, attach additional paperwork required for your visa category. You can find a list of the additional documents on the IRCC document list.
- If you do not have the required documents, you can download a waiver form from the website and attach it to the available documents.
- Go through the privacy policy
- Complete and print the consent form ( from the VFS Global website)
- Book an appointment at the visa application center for your biometrics capture and submission of documents.
- Pay the required all the required fees
- Visit the visa application center in your country or
- Submit your application and biometrics
- Pay for the application ( if you haven’t paid the fees as mentioned in the earlier steps)
- Use the provided tracking number to check your application status.
- If your application is successful, you can visit the visa application center to collect the documents.
If you want to use the online portal,
- Log on to canda.ca
- Create an account on the portal
- Log into the account
- Choose a visa that suits your purposes
- Fill in the required details
- Open a page that shows the required documents for your visa application
- Upload the required needed documents to the portal
- Pay online on a featured payment page.
- Look out regularly for any notifications ( showing the next steps of the visa process ) that will appear on your account. If you find any alerts, remember to print the messages.
- Head to the visa application center to submit your passport and fingerprint
- Wait for the completion of the visa process. If the visa has been approved or rejected, a message will be sent to your inbox on the portal.
- If you have a successful visa application, the center will request your passport to get the visa label. But if you couldn’t get past the application process, the center will send a message stating reasons for the refusal.
- If you have a successful application, print the message and affix it to your original passport
- Submit the passport to the visa application center in your country.
- The center will send the passport to the Canadian embassy for approval
- Collect your approved passport.