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When your business guests are traveling to Canada from other countries, there are steps to take to ensure that they arrive without hassles.
Due diligence
A common initial step to partaking in a business partnership is to exercise due diligence. In order to ensure that your company’s interests and reputation are safeguarded, it would be wise to learn all you can about your potential partner’s business background, such as their assets and liabilities, their reputation and their current legal status. The knowledge that you glean might inform whether the potential partner will face any issues when attempting to enter Canada.
Be aware of entry requirements
Your visitor might need to apply for a temporary resident visa, depending on from which country he/she is travelling. There is not a distinct application that relates to business visitors.
The current or former conditions in countries, such as war or political unrest, can play a role in whether your potential partner is considered eligible to enter Canada. These conditions can also affect the length of time a visa is processed.
Partners should apply early with complete applications
The best chance to have an application processed quickly is to ensure that all the information is filled out properly. If this is achieved, the visa office will usually process the application within 24 to 48 hours. Special circumstances will affect the process time. If there are aspects of the application that are incomplete, or if certain documents are not present or appear dubious, you may experience delays or even a refusal.
If your business partner is expected to make multiple trips to Canada, then it might make sense to apply for a multiple entry visa. This would allow them to use the same visa each time, instead of going through the process of requesting a visa each trip. However, some foreign nationals are incapable of acquiring multi-entry visas, so be sure to check with the visa office in their region to determine their options.
Make sure that your business partner has your contact information where you can be reached at any moment.
Also, provide your partner with an accurate and detailed letter of invitation. Two copies will be necessary, both for the visa application and for submission at the Canadian border. You’ll need to determine if the letter needs to be notarized, so check with the Canadian visa office in your visitor’s country.
A representative of the Canadian company that is hosting the visitor should write the letter. It must include the following details:
Information about the visitor:
- their name
- their date of birth
- their address
- their home and work numbers
- their relationship with your company and your business history together
- whether you have a personal relationship with the visitor, and whether you’re related
- the details of the purpose of the trip
- the amount of time they are visiting Canada, including the date they plan to leave (if known)
- the accommodation and living costs for which the company will pay
Information about the person hosting:
- your full name
- your job title and position
- your address and Canadian phone numbers
- your work email address
Information about the hosting company:
- company name
- address of headquarters
- addresses of company facilities being visited
- the company’s website address, if available
- the company’s date of registration/incorporation
- a brief summary of the company’s business line
When you are trying to focus on conducting business, it may seem overwhelming to consider all the requirements to bring a foreign national to Canada. An experienced Canadian immigration lawyer can ease this concern by taking care of all the formalities associated with federal regulations, so you can pay more attention to your own affairs.