E-mail this pageApplying for a Canadian visa
Do I need a visa to go to Canada?
To find out whether you need a visa, go to the Canadian Consulate website.
What kind of visa do I need to visit Canada?
There a two types of Canadian visitor visas: single-entry and multiple-entry. A single-entry visa allows you to travel between the United States and Canada as many times as you would like for the duration of the visa. However, if you would like to travel from another point into Canada (e.g. fly into Montreal from your home country) you would need a multiple-entry visa.
Important: Single-entry visa does not mean you can enter Canada only once.
The cost of a single-entry visa is $75, and for multiple-entry $150. The choice of visitor visa is entirely yours. From practice, we know that students applying for multiple-entry get a visa for a longer time.
Send all required documents in an express mail envelope to the address below. To get your documents back faster, and for security reasons, we advise you to include an addressed return express mail envelope inside the packet. You can pick up the envelopes at the post office or at ISS.
Consulate General of Canada
HSBC Center, Suite 3000
Buffalo, NY 14203-2884
Required documents
- Completed application for a Temporary Resident Visa to Canada (form IMM 5257)
- Your original valid passport.
- Money order of $75 for single-entry, or $150 for multiple-entry visa. You can purchase the money order at Wal-Mart or the Post Office. Make the money order payable to "Consulate General of Canada". In the address field, enter your campus address. Send only exact amounts; if you send a money order for $151, the Canadian consulate will return all your materials without a visa.
- Two passport photos. We recommend going to Rite-Aid or Wal-Mart. Write your name and date of birth on the back of only one photo.
- Original I-20 form with valid signature on the third page. If your signature is more than a year old, please come to ISS and ask for another signature.
- Enrollment verification form from the Registrar's office (Kehoe 3rd floor). This form proves that you are a full-time student.
- Bank statement to indicate that you have sufficient funds to cover your expenses while in Canada. An online statement from a U.S. bank is acceptable; if your bank prints you a statement, make sure it is on bank letterhead or has an official bank seal. We recommend at least $500 for single-entry, and $1000 for multiple-entry visa; the more money you show, the better.
- A return express mail envelope (to secure the return of your original passport)
- An unofficial transcript from Banner [Student Menu-->Student Records Menu-->Academic Transcript (unofficial)]. If you have holds on your account, you will not be able to print an unofficial transcript. You can view a list of your holds in Student Menu->Student Records->Administrative Holds.
- Personal letter explaining why you want to visit Canada. Download a sample letter. Copy and paste the content into a word processor and edit it to fit your circumstances. You might have to add spaces because the PDF text loses some editing when pasted into a word processor.
What to expect
The average processing time is 2 to 5 weeks. If anything is missing from your application, the Canadian Consulate will return your documents without a visa.