Most countries require a pre-organised visa to visit Canada. To find out what kind of visa you require, or find out if you can enter Canada with an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) and to apply, see the Government of Canada’s IRCC portal page. 

We understand the application process for visas to Canada can take up to 6 months for some countries, so please start your application as soon as you can. We have been told that there will be a lengthy visa application process for participants from China, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. This is not a complete list and there may be other countries for which this is also the case. Visa applications from countries that do not have a Canadian Consulate or Embassy are also likely to take longer.

If you have obtained a Canadian visa recently it may still be valid to cover your trip to the Fellowship Event. 

IRCC stands for “ Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada”

First, you will be prompted to complete a few steps to set up an IRCC portal account in order to access the Government Of Canada’s visa portal. 

• Click on Request an IRCC invitation code
• Fill out your email address
• A code is automatically created for you
• Copy to clipboard then continue to the IRCC portal sign-up page
• Complete the password page
• A verification code will be emailed to you, which you will need to enter on the next page, ‘confirm sign-up’, when prompted.
• Your IRCC portal account has now been set up. 

Before applying for a visa you will need your passport and payment method. You may also need a letter from the hotel, which you can download here (this letter is in English only), and your letter of invitation, which you can download here. 

• Once logged in, under ‘start an application’ click on ‘apply to visit, study or work in Canada as a temporary resident’
• Complete each section by selecting ‘visitor visa’ when prompted. A visitor’s visa covers travel to Canada for business meetings, conferences, events and training. 
• Once all information has been entered, you will be informed of the type of visa to apply for and directed to the relevant page to continue with the application

If you need further information for your visa application please contact events@biblesocieties.org