🇨🇦Canada
Documents required
- ·Machine-readable passport valid for the trip
- ·Email address for the approval
- ·Credit/debit card for the fee
- ·Travel itinerary details
Entry requirements
- ·Approved ETA linked to your passport
- ·Return or onward ticket
- ·Proof of funds
- ·Address of first night's accommodation
Apply only via the official government portal — third-party sites add fees and risk rejection. Details shown are general guidance for eta / online entry — always confirm current requirements on the destination's official government portal before booking travel.
Immigration officers in Canada
Canada runs a normal-paced border with standard verification of documents and intent.
Required proof at entry
- ·Passport valid 6+ months beyond your departure date
- ·Visa, eVisa, ETA or VOA approval (printed copy recommended)
- ·Confirmed return or onward ticket within the permitted stay
- ·Hotel reservation or host's full address and contact details
- ·Some cash or a working card — officers may ask how the trip is funded
Border experience is a planning guide — individual officers have wide discretion. When in doubt, carry more documentation than you think you'll need.
Source: IRCC eTA
Overstay, refusal & deportation in Canada
Overstay fines
Canada typically charges a per-day overstay fine payable on departure. Short overstays may be waived at officer discretion, but the published amount is set by the immigration authority.
Visa rejection consequences
A refusal or denied entry can usually be re-attempted later with stronger documentation, but it must be disclosed on future visa forms that ask.
Re-entry bans
Re-entry bans are uncommon for short overstays settled at departure, but repeat or long overstays can trigger multi-year bans.
Deportation risks
Formal deportation is reserved for serious overstays, illegal work, or criminal offences — most overstayers simply pay the fine and leave.
Penalties change frequently and vary by circumstance — treat this as a planning guide, not legal advice. Settle any overstay or status issue with the local immigration authority before departure where possible.
Current penalties and ban tariffs: IRCC eTA
Extensions & visa runs in Canada
Canada treats short-stay rules as hard limits — assume zero flexibility.
How many times?
Canada permits a single extension in narrow circumstances; second extensions are uncommon without changing visa category.
Visa run rules (leave & re-enter)
Canada actively monitors back-to-back entries. Border officers can refuse re-entry, shorten the stay granted, or impose a mandatory cooling-off period after repeated short trips.
Border discretion is real — even when extensions are technically allowed, individual officers can refuse. For stays beyond a few months, switching to a proper long-stay, student, or remote-work visa is almost always safer than repeated runs.
Current extension rules: IRCC eTA
