Updated: 2026-07-03 | Sources: IRCC official pages (Visitor record, eTA, Visitor visa) | For real-time details, always defer to official announcements
“Do I need a visa to go to Canada?” is one of the most common questions, and the answer starts with three other questions: which passport you hold, whether you’re flying in or crossing overland from the United States, and how long you plan to stay. Canada’s entry documents can’t be summed up in one sentence—visa-exempt travellers arriving by air need an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization), while travellers from countries that require a visa need a visitor visa (also called a TRV), and the two differ significantly in cost, process, and wait time. The most important point up front: regardless of which document you obtain, approval never equals a “guaranteed entry”—the final decision always rests with the border officer.
Working out which one applies really comes down to two variables—your nationality/passport, and how you enter Canada. For entry by air, there are two main categories: visa-exempt travellers (including Taiwan) flying to or transiting through Canada need an eTA, and Taiwanese travellers must hold an “ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that includes the national ID number” to qualify for visa exemption; travellers from countries that require a visa must apply for a visitor visa (TRV) through IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada), a considerably more involved process than the eTA. Two commonly overlooked exceptions also apply: U.S. citizens do not need an eTA to enter Canada by air; and regardless of nationality, entering Canada from the United States by “land or sea” (for example, driving across the border or arriving by cruise ship) does not require an eTA—though the entry document rules differ in that case, so it’s worth confirming separately with IRCC. Anyone unsure which category applies to them should run the official IRCC “Check if you need a visa or eTA” tool, which gives an answer based on nationality and itinerary—more reliable than any guide.
One point that’s frequently confused deserves clarification up front: the eTA and the visitor visa (TRV) are both “entry” documents—they answer the question “can I board a flight and get in?” If someone is already inside Canada and their visa or working holiday is about to expire and they want to legally extend their stay, that’s an entirely different matter, called a Visitor Record. Many people conflate these three, or mistakenly assume that “having an eTA means I can stay in Canada indefinitely,” which is the most common—and most problematic—misunderstanding.
| Item | eTA | Visitor Visa / TRV | Visitor Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Electronic authorization for visa-exempt travellers entering/transiting by air | Entry permit for travellers from visa-required countries (usable by air or land) | Applied for from within Canada, to extend a stay or change conditions of stay |
| Is it a visa | No, it’s an electronic travel authorization | Yes, it is a visa | No, it’s only a document confirming status while inside Canada |
| Can it be used to enter/re-enter | Yes, for entry or transit | Yes, for entry | No—it is not an entry permit; once you leave Canada you cannot use it to re-enter, so confirm what document you’ll need to come back before you leave |
| Can you work on it | No | No (unless you separately hold a valid work permit) | No—after the extension, your status is still “visitor,” and changing documents does not add any right to work |
| Can you apply from inside Canada | No, apply online from outside Canada before departure | Usually applied for from outside Canada | Can only be applied for from within Canada, and must be submitted before your current status expires |
| Who it’s for | Taiwanese passport holders entering or transiting by air | Travellers whose nationality requires a visa | People already in Canada who want to legally extend their stay (for example, a working holiday about to expire while they want to stay on to travel or handle other matters) |
What exactly is a Visitor Record?
A Visitor Record is a document IRCC issues to visitors “already inside Canada” to extend their authorized period of stay or change their conditions of stay. It is not a visa, nor is it a re-entry permit—what it states is the date through which you may legally remain, not “this piece of paper lets you re-enter Canada.” If you leave Canada after being granted an extension, you’ll need to meet the entry requirements in effect at that time to come back (for example, your passport’s own status will again determine whether you need an eTA or a visa)—the Visitor Record itself cannot be used to clear the border.
The fee is CAD $100 per person, plus an additional CAD $85 biometrics fee if you haven’t provided biometric data within the past 10 years. IRCC recommends applying at least 30 days before your current status expires. It’s worth noting that many people used to rely on “flagpoling” (driving to the Canada–U.S. border, exiting and re-entering to refresh their status on the spot) to handle this kind of extension—but this practice was discontinued by the Canadian government as of December 24, 2024. Extensions can now only be requested through the online application; showing up at the border to swap documents in person is no longer an option.
What is “maintained status”?
As long as you submit your Visitor Record application before your current status expires, you automatically enter “maintained status” (formerly called implied status) even if a decision hasn’t been made yet and your original deadline has already passed—you may legally remain in Canada until IRCC reaches a decision. Two points here are often overlooked: first, maintained status does not expand your rights—if you were a visitor and couldn’t work, you still can’t work while on maintained status; it only means you’re lawfully staying while awaiting a decision. Second, the application must be submitted before expiry—if you wait until after your status has already lapsed to apply, there is no maintained status available, and you fall directly into overstay, which affects any future application for status.
Another question that comes up often—and is easy to get wrong—is: can you leave Canada while a Visitor Record application is being processed? The answer is yes, but the consequences need to be understood clearly: leaving Canada while your application is under review will cause it to be treated as automatically abandoned. To legally return afterward, you’ll need to meet Canada’s entry requirements from outside the country again (for example, reapplying for an eTA or a visa)—you cannot count on your pending Visitor Record remaining valid or resuming review once you’re back. If your plan involves stepping out briefly and returning, decide in advance what status you’ll use to re-enter, rather than assuming maintained status or a pending application will simply wait for you.
Common scenarios
The most common scenario is a working holiday (WHV) about to expire, with the person wanting to stay in Canada a bit longer to travel: submitting a Visitor Record application before the WHV expires can, in principle, allow you to stay lawfully while awaiting a decision, but your status becomes purely that of a visitor, and you can no longer work under your original work permit. Another common situation is a work permit about to expire while the next job or status hasn’t been approved yet—in this case, first clarify whether you should apply for a new work permit to extend your status, or apply for a Visitor Record simply to remain lawfully in the meantime. The conditions and what you’re permitted to do afterward differ completely between the two, and conflating them easily causes people to miss their application window. A third scenario is having already submitted a Visitor Record application, then wanting to make a quick trip out of the country and back—as noted above, doing so will almost certainly cause the application to be treated as abandoned; if you genuinely need to leave, you should be prepared to reapply from outside the country.
eTA essentials (relevant to most Taiwanese travellers)
For people holding a Taiwanese passport who plan to fly to Canada to watch matches or travel, the eTA is the situation that applies most often. The official rules are easier to compare laid out in a table:
| Item | Official rule | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | CAD $7 | Paid online by credit card immediately after completing the form, with no additional handling fee |
| Processing time | Most applications are approved within minutes | A small number of cases are asked for further documents and can stretch to several days, so don’t leave it until the day before departure |
| Validity | Up to 5 years, or until the passport expires, whichever comes first | The eTA is tied to that specific passport; a new passport requires a new application |
| Number of entries | Multiple entries allowed within the validity period | Each stay is generally capped at 6 months; the actual number of days is decided by the border officer |
| Applicable method | Only for entry or transit “by air” | Entering by land or sea from the United States does not require an eTA |
Applying only requires a passport, a credit card, and an email address. One fraud-prevention note worth flagging: the official eTA costs exactly CAD $7. Many “agent” websites online charge a service fee of tens of Canadian dollars and are designed to closely resemble the official site. Make sure you use the official Canada.ca application portal, and don’t enter your details on the first sponsored link that shows up in search results.
If your nationality falls under the category that requires a visa, the process is an entirely different matter. The visitor visa (TRV) is not a few-minutes online process—it’s a formal application requiring a complete set of documents and biometric data (fingerprints) to be collected. On cost, the base fee for the visa itself is about CA$100, and most applicants also pay a separate biometrics fee (about CA$85 per person, or about CA$170 per family). Processing time is the hardest thing to pin down—it varies considerably depending on which country you’re applying from and the current application volume, ranging anywhere from just over a week to several hundred days, and the clock generally doesn’t start until biometrics are completed. No single figure is given here for that reason—use IRCC’s official processing-time tool to check the latest estimate for your specific country of application, and start as early as possible.
This year, many people are planning trips to Canada to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and two points need to be established from the outset. First, holding a FIFA ticket does not mean a visa or eTA is guaranteed to be approved—a ticket is simply an event ticket, not an entry permit, and certainly not some kind of “World Cup fast-track visa”; if IRCC has not officially announced a special channel, none exists, so third-party claims shouldn’t be trusted. Second, when applying for an eTA or visitor visa, if the form includes a free-text field for purpose of travel, you’re welcome to note that you’re attending the FIFA World Cup 26, but this is purely supplementary information to help the officer understand the itinerary—it does not raise the chances of approval or speed up processing. One more point that’s easy to overlook: the 2026 World Cup spans three countries—the U.S., Canada, and Mexico—so if your itinerary moves between the three, each country’s entry rules need to be confirmed “separately.” Canada’s eTA cannot be used to enter the United States, the U.S. has its own ESTA or visa system, and Mexico has an entirely different system again—don’t treat the three countries as a single process.
Before departure, it’s worth reviewing these points: use the Canada.ca / IRCC tools to confirm whether a visitor visa, an eTA, or another document is required; check passport validity, transit points, method of entry (air or land), and the planned length of stay; have accommodation bookings, a return flight, and an itinerary plan ready—these help explain the trip but are not a guarantee of entry; the eTA must be used with “the same passport used when applying”—remember to reapply after a passport renewal; and if the itinerary crosses the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, confirm each country’s rules separately and leave enough buffer time for applications.
A frequently asked question is: “I hold a Taiwanese passport and want to go to Canada for the World Cup—what document do I need?” If entering by air, an eTA is required (holding an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that includes the national ID number qualifies for visa exemption), at a cost of CAD $7, usually approved within minutes, and valid for up to 5 years or until the passport expires. If entering Canada from the United States overland or by sea, an eTA is not required, though it’s still advisable to confirm the entry document requirements for that situation with IRCC’s official guidance beforehand. To reiterate once more: document approval never guarantees entry—the final decision rests with the border officer’s discretion. Rules around tickets, visas, entry, and transportation can all be updated; this article only compiles verified, currently reliable information, and important decisions should be based on the latest announcements on IRCC’s official pages. To keep planning the trip, check out our Canada Life Guide, or the 2026 World Cup Canada Fan Information Center.
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