Millions of visitors (temporary residents) come to Canada every year for various reasons. While some come to Canada as tourists, some come for business purposes, meeting children or grandchildren, etc. Except for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, everybody else need a legal visitor document to enter a Canadian entry point.

Except for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, everybody else need a legal visitor document to enter a Canadian entry point. This document can be either one of the below two:

• A Temporary Resident Visa (TRV); OR
• An Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)

The only exclusion to the above requirements are for the citizens of the United States of America (USA). US citizens do not require a TRV or an eTA to enter Canada. Whether you are coming to Canada as a student on a study permit, or, a foreign worker on a work permit, you must have a TRV to enter Canada unless you belong to a visa-exempt country. Unless you are a US citizen, you must have an eTA to enter Canada if your country of citizenship is a visa-exempt country. To find out if what you need is a TRV (Temporary Resident Visa) or an eTA (electronic Travel Authorization) to come to Canada, click here.

In reality, a person who need a TRV to come to Canada need not apply for an eTA, and similarly, a person who need an eTA to come to Canada need not apply for a TRV (Temporary Resident Visa or Visit Visa). Depending on your country of citizenship, you may either need a TRV or an eTA to come to Canada. To find out if what you need is a TRV (Temporary Resident Visa) or an eTA (electronic Travel Authorization) to come to Canada, click here.

Note: If you are a green card holder in the United States, you need an eTA to come to Canada. However, in no case you need to apply for a TRV.