Recent developments for those waiting to hear if you qualify for visa status or have been denied entry into Canada due to lack of proof can be quite frustrating.
Many individuals will wait weeks, even months before they are contacted for their next step in immigration processes. This is totally normal as it takes time to process all of the documents required to make this determination, but it can also lead to stress and frustration.
It is important to remember that there is no set timeline for visa processing. Some people may find themselves with very little information during these times because officials do not want to reveal details about your case.
Visas are designed to assess whether you and/or your family can establish long term residence in Canada and whether you intend to return home at the end of your visit, so it makes sense to check out how long past visits took before being granted full stay rights.
In cases where an individual has been denied entry into Canada, it is possible to appeal this decision and potentially get approved later on. It is always best to remain up-to-date on what is happening with your file though, by keeping track of when appointments were made and any notifications you receive.
As mentioned earlier, most major credit cards give you direct access to the immigration system through an organization called VISA. By linking your card to VISA, they will use this information to process your visa screening.
Some of these services directly bill VISA for the cost of processing, while others have you pay extra fees for their service. It is important to know what kind of service you get before agreeing to pay monthly or yearly fees!
We recommend using Visaswiss’s I-visa Service because it is one of the few that does not charge additional fees for their service. Plus, it is very affordable per year costs. This also means there are no surprise excessive monthly bills either!
There is one other small price though; you must first link your credit card to them BEFORE THE SCREENING PROCESS.
Many people assume that when you enter the United States, your passport is immediately checked by CBP agents to verify all of your entry documents are authentic.
This isn't always the case however.
In fact, it can take up to eight hours for some individuals to get fully processed at a CBP facility! That's more than enough time for someone wishing to enter the country illegally or for an overstay alien to leave the country.
It is always better to be over-prepared than under- prepared when it comes to international travel. This way, you will not have to worry about missing an important part of your trip because you left yourself with less time to process your visas.
It is totally understandable that one can become preoccupied during the planning stages of their next big adventure. With every passing day, your schedule becomes more full, which makes finding time to prepare for your upcoming vacation even harder.
That is why it is so important to bear in mind the timing requirement for visa processing at each country’s embassy or consulate before you leave. By doing this, you will know how long you have until you need to be back in town!
By having enough time to wait for your visa after traveling, you give your self some breathing room to focus on other things like recovering from your travels or getting into shape again since you spent too much time eating and sleeping.
After you receive your visa, you have two weeks to leave the country! This is what most people do not realize about visa processing. Most people assume that once they obtain their visa, they can just stay in the country until their departure date.
This assumption is wrong!
Most countries require at least two week’s notice before anyone with a tourist visa can depart from the country. Two weeks equals at least one full business day of normal activity for a traveler.
During this time, many things can happen. You could be traveling or back home. You could get sick and need to remain within the country longer than planned. Your work could send you new assignments that would force you to stay beyond your original plan.
There are no exceptions to this rule, even if you are a high profile individual. If the government needs to meet its obligations to you (like keeping you as an ambassador), then they will have to extend your visa. But, by law they cannot make you stay longer than two weeks unless you have a diplomatic passport.
Diplomatic passports give you much more leeway when it comes to leaving the country, but only because governments expect to see you go every so often.
The next step is to make sure you have all of your documents together and ready!
If for some reason your passport needs to be mailed or shipped, that will not stop your trip as long as it gets here before your departure. You can use an expedited shipping method like UPS Overnight, but that would cost more money!
Visas typically take one to two days once they are received at the embassy or consulate. They may even go through additional screening process which depends on who you’re meeting with and what country you’ll be traveling to.
We recommend doing this as soon as possible since there is no guarantee how quickly your visa will arrive after it is sent. A lot of people start their travels right after Christmas so any earlier than that might cause issues.
The next thing to worry about is whether you will make it home in your planned trip time due to visa processing. Some countries require only one day for screening, while others can take several days or even weeks depending on the volume of visas being processed at that time.
In some cases, there are no fixed timing requirements, but rather an estimated start date as well as an expected end date. In these instances, we cannot guarantee when you should expect to return home unless we have exact estimates for when your visa was stamped.
We recommend staying informed and checking back frequently on the status of your visa so you do not miss any important information or notifications! Also, be sure to check with each country’s embassy directly to see if there are additional steps they may ask to complete before issuing you a visa.
If you don’t receive your visa within five business days, you need to start thinking about what you can do next. Fortunately, there are many ways to re-enter Canada! Here are some tips for returning home quickly.
Become familiar with the Canadian immigration system. Read up on Reentry Rules in this country as well as information specific to your national origin. This will help ensure that your departure was properly processed and that you know what restrictions may apply when traveling back home.
If possible, bring an alternate travel document or proof of sufficient funds to stay abroad for the length of time needed.
Stay informed! Stay in contact with friends and family members who can vouch for you. Many people live with their parents or siblings while studying, so ask them if they could look after you until you're able to return home.
Practice these strategies before leaving! Knowing how long it takes to process visas means you'll have more time to prepare for your trip once you realize yours has been delayed.
If you don’t have your passport with you, you can still travel! Many countries allow an individual to enter using their passport or citizenship card. More than half of all Schengen member states require only one piece of proof that the person is a citizen of the country they are visiting, which makes it easy to just take this along when traveling.
Visas typically remain valid for up to 180 days so there isn’t much urgency to obtain them before leaving. It is best to leave yourself enough time to get yours since some may not be updated due to natural disasters or personal reasons.
If you run into issues getting your visa in time, stay at a hotel that offers free wifi so you can easily check if anything has changed and what actions need to be taken. Most hotels will also let you use their phone to make calls, which helps you coordinate where you are staying and how to get back home.
