Let us get to the most significant point that this article wants to make. Canada is a magnificent and beautiful country with a lot of forests, fantastic fishing destinations, and beautiful lakes. Visiting places in Canada like Ontario’s Sunset country will be every tourist’s most beautiful vacation, and they are going to have a lot of memorable experiences.
This article will give tourists as well as immigrants an easy to read and comprehensive background about Canada if they are coming from the United States. It will also be beneficial for people visiting Canada that comes from another country.
Getting into the Land of the Maple leaf
Like most countries, Canada has laws that protect their security and borders. But entering Canada as a tourist very easy to do. Here are some basic rules when it comes to AVE Canada:
If you are an American citizen, you are required to bring and show your passport to enter the country. The funny thing is, your United States passport is necessary because Americans will need it to enter the United States after your vacation in Canada is done.
So actually, bringing your US passport is not a Canadian law, but an American law. As a citizen of the United States, you have an option to get a passport card or get an enhanced driver’s license (this is only good for land travel). Children that are under 16 years old and are a citizen of the United States are not required to show their passport, by they need to bring their birth certificate, and they need to bring additional identifications with pictures like school UD.
It will help Customs and Immigration officers to verify the children’s identity. Visitors and tourists from other countries outside the United States are required to show their passport, including the children, and depending on your country of origin, you may need to apply for an electronic travel authorization or an eTA or a visiting visa. Want to know how to apply for a visit visa? Click here.
If you are from the United States bringing in children who are not your own, or you are with your kids, and the other children’s parents are not accompanying you, it is recommended that you have an authorization letter from the kids’ parents permitting you to take their children into Canada without them. Make sure that you have the contact information of the other kids’ parents in case the Customs and Immigration officers want to verify the authorization letter.
Visiting the country as a person with criminal records
If you want to visit Canada to take a vacation, but you have criminal records (including Driving under the Influence/Driving While Intoxicated conviction) this is a big issue. Your admission to Canada is first and foremost, at the discretion of the Canada Border Services Agency or the CBSA Immigration officer who you met.
If you have one minor criminal or misdemeanor conviction that you are not aware of, the Customs and Immigration official can grant you a Temporary Resident Permit or a TRP at their discretion. The permit will allow you to enter the country on a one-time basis, just for the duration of your planned vacation. The critical thing to remember here are the following:
There are no guarantees or any obligations that the Customs and Immigration Official will grant you a Temporary Resident Permit because it is discretionary. The best advice we can give you in case you find yourself in this situation is to be very polite with the Customs and Immigration officials at the border despite all the stress.
A Temporary Resident Permit will only be considered if you have a minor conviction or you just have one conviction on your record, and you did not experience jail time. If you have at least two convictions, there is a small chance that you will be offered by the Canadian officials a Temporary Resident Permit. People applying for a TRP are required to pay a small amount if you decide to accept it.
What is a Temporary Resident Permit? Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporary_residency_in_Canada to know more.
All in all, Canada has one of the lenient policies when it comes to immigration, but despite that, they are still very strict when it comes to their border and safety. If you want to visit Canada, you need to follow every law and regulations they impose on travelers and visitors.
