Can I stay in Canada until the expiry date on my visitor visa?

Can I stay in Canada until the expiry date on my visitor visa?

The expiry date on the visitor visa is the date by which you must arrive in Canada.

How long you can stay will be decided each time you enter Canada.

Length of stay decided by a border services officer

If you see a border services officer at the port of entry, they will tell you how long you can stay in Canada in 1 of these ways:

• If the officer stamps your passport and writes a date under that stamp

  • You must leave Canada by that date

• If the officer stamps your passport and gives you a visitor record

  • You must leave Canada by the date under “Valid until” on that visitor record.

• If the officer stamps your passport without writing a date under that stamp or giving you a visitor record

  • You can stay in Canada for 6 months, or until the expiry of your passport or biometrics, whichever comes first

If you enter Canada on a super visa after June 22, 2023 and the border services officer puts a stamp without a hand written date in your passport, you can stay for 5 years.

Length of stay decided at a primary inspection kiosk

If you go through a primary inspection kiosk, the officer may not stamp your passport at all. In this case, you can only stay in Canada for 6 months from the day you first enter Canada, or until your passport or biometrics expire, whichever comes first.

If you enter Canada on a super visa after June 22, 2023 and the border services officer does not stamp your passport, you can stay for 5 years. Find out more about how long you can stay in Canada.

If you need a stamp in your passport as proof of entry into Canada, you have to ask a border services officer for one after you finish at the kiosk.