Bloomberg Línea — If you are from the Dominican Republic and plan to travel to Canada, you need a visitor visa. This visa is your official permission to enter and explore the country.

Whether as a student, tourist or on business, you will absolutely have to apply for a visa. You might need it, even if you only have a brief layover at a Canadian airport.

Visa applications can seem complicated. To help you, Here’s a guide to the process supported by information from the Dominican firm Morillo Suriel Abogados.

The application for any type of visa is processed before the consular representations of each country. In the Dominican Republic, there is no Canadian consulate, but there is a Visa Application Center (VAC) located at Torre Piantini, Av. Gustavo Mejía Ricart, Santo Domingo.

Visa Application Centers (VAC) They are the only ones authorized by the Government of Canada to accept applications for: study permits, work permits, temporary resident visas and travel documents for permanent residents (Travel Document).

These are then sent to the Canadian Embassy in Mexico. VAC staff are responsible for receiving applications and ensuring that they are correctly completed and signed and that all necessary documents are included, as well as verifying that the application fee has been paid.

They also coordinate sending visa passport with DHL or delivery of the result directly to the CRDV. However, the CRDV is not authorized to accept applications for permanent residence.

Requirements to apply for a visa for Canada:

• Application form duly completed and signed (two copies)
• Valid passport.
• Family information form.
• Photographs meeting the specifications, sign on the back and write your name and date of birth.
• Work letter if you are an employee.
• If you are an entrepreneur, company certifications.
• Flight route.
• Bank reference letter.
• If you own property, copies of certificates of title or vehicle license plates.
• Show that you have ties to your home country.
• Pay the amount of US$75.00 for the visa.
• VAC application fee must pay RD$2,949.00 (US$51.94).

Temporary residence visas

It is a mandatory document to enter Canada, it is a travel document. This visa does not give permission to work and is generally valid for stays of six months.

Those entering on a visitor visa can study, but only for courses lasting less than six months.

What should you consider when applying for this visa?

The officer determines that the applicant will leave Canada at the end of the authorized period of stay. To this end, the following factors are taken into account:

• There work situation and job prospects upon your return. This can be verified by a work letter, salary receipts, income tax returns, proof of social security contributions.
• Funds: You must check that you have sufficient funds for your travel needs (transportation, food, health insurance, tuition fees if you wish to study).
• Property: The properties, businesses, land, cars that you have in your name count as a strong bond with your country, which would tempt you to come back to take care of it.
• THE family ties in your country.
• He purpose of travel: This factor is quite subjective and at the discretion of the agent. The purpose of the trip must have meaning in the eyes of the Canadian official.
• He period of stay. If the purpose of the trip is to spend Christmas, for example, with Canadian friends, and the indicated travel duration is 3 months, there are inconsistencies.
• Travel story. This factor is very important, especially for residents of Latin American countries. Travel within the last 10 years to a visa-requiring country, such as the United States, Australia, or a Western European country, demonstrates that the applicant is a trusted traveler.

Remember to respect all these points, in addition to not hiding information. The officer’s duty is to reject the visa if there is any suspicion, so it is very important to present as strong a case as possible.

How long does the Canadian visa application process take?

This visitor visa process takes twenty working days. Remember that the embassy in the Dominican Republic, both those located in Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana, only deals with the affairs of its Canadian citizens.

Types of temporary visas:

• Single entry: Gives the right to enter only once, for a maximum stay of six months. The stay can be extended in Canada, but departure and return require another visa.
• Multiple entry: It is issued for 5 or 10 years, without exceeding the validity of your passport. It allows entry several times, always for stays of a maximum duration of six months without the right to work.