Traveling to Canada?  Then there are a few things you should be aware of even if you are a seasoned international traveler or travel regularly to Canada.  U.S. passport holders traveling to Canada for business, without a visa, are now being checked more frequently to verify that they possess letters from their U.S. company regarding the company’s or individual’s business while in Canada. 

Although the policies are not new, the enforcement has increased.  Information in the letters should include: length of stay, reason for travel and name, address and phone number of local contact.    

Documents you must have at the Canadian border include:

• A passport or travel document that is valid for your entire stay and guarantees re-entry to your country of origin;
• If applicable, a valid temporary resident visa;
• Letters of support from your parent company and a letter of invitation from the Canadian host company;
• Other documents relevant to the visit, such as warranty or service agreements, contracts, etc.;
• 24-hour contact details of your business host in Canada;
• Proof that you have enough money for both your stay in Canada and your return home.

The Canadians are also particular about letting anyone into their country who has a criminal record, even for minor criminal offenses. You may be turned away at the border.  You have to be officially allowed re-entry by the Canadian government which consists of filing the Application of Criminal Rehabilitation along with a Temporary Work visa. 

A possible work-around is the filing of a Temporary Resident Permit, also known as a TRP.  A Temporary Resident Permit is a Canadian immigration Permit issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.  It allows you to enter to Canada as a visitor, worker or student even if you are considered inadmissible to Canada due to a criminal record or certain medical conditions

If you plan to travel to Canada with the VEDP in March, the invitation letter will be supplied by our Canadian consultant.   If you need to travel to Canada and haven’t yet made plans to do so, consider joining up with VEDP on our trip to Vancouver March 7 – 11, 2011.  We’ll take care of the details for you!

For more information regarding the VEDP – International Trade group market visit to Vancouver, Canada, please contact Leslie Parpart at lparpart@yesvirginia.org or your local trade manager.

Canada · international business · passport · travel · VEDP · visa