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  Many visitors to Canada need a tourist visa. In addition, all visitors need to have a valid passport or other acceptable travel documentation and to be physically healthy. Depending upon your country of origin or your reason for visiting Canada, you might need to satisfy an immigration officer that you have enough money to support yourself while there and that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit.
  
  

Tourist Visa Exemptions

• Not everyone requires a tourist visa to enter Canada. U.S. citizens, as well as those living lawfully in the United States who can present their alien registration (Green) card or provide official evidence of permanent residence, do not need a tourist visa. Neither do citizens of the European Union or British Overseas Citizens, including those born or naturalized in Hong Kong, who can return to the United Kingdom. Those born in British dependent territories or who retain citizenship in them from descent or naturalization as well as Israeli national passport holders are exempt. Also exempt are citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Australia, Japan, Korea, Namibia, New Zealand, Papau New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Swaziland and Western Samoa.
  
  

Tourist Visa Application

• A tourist visa is the same as a temporary resident visa. The temporary resident visa can be downloaded from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website, but must be submitted to a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate. (See References for the form and list of global Canadian visa offices.) Your spouse or common-law partner and children younger than 18 can be listed on the same visa application. Completed applications must include a valid passport or official travel document, two recent passport photos of you and each family member listed on the form, and the application fee. Contact the visa office to determine if proof of support or employment, or a letter of invitation from relatives of friends living in Canada is also required. Specify if you will need a single or multiple entry visa. Photocopy the completed application for your own records.
  
  

Working or Studying

• Temporary residents are not allowed to work or study in Canada unless they have been authorized to do so. If you want to study or work while in Canada, be very specific about the kind of work or educational program you want to pursue. Temporary residents can pursue a program of study for up to six months without an additional study permit. Temporary residents who are full-time students can work at their educational institution without a work permit. Athletes and coaches, as well as some performers working for a limited period of time, do not need a work permit. Consult the list of work exemptions on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website, and contact your visa office with any questions or concerns. (See References.) Make sure you have all the required permits with your temporary resident visa before you arrive in Canada.