Get a six month tourist visa instead my Working Holiday Visa

[FK2014]

Hi,

I am a German citizen and my working holiday visa will expire on the 20th of May in 2015.
I would like to return to Canada after I visit Mexico or some other countries in Central or South America in spring 2015.
If I have correct information, I am allowed to return to Canada with my working holiday visa until it expires and I shoul be also allowed to visit Canada for six month without any application.
Is it possible to return to Canada after my trip to South America, if my working holiday visa is still valid and get instead of my valid working holiday visa, a six month tourist visa for a German citizen?

If that isn´t possible when would I be allowed or what I have to do, that I am allowed to return to Canada?

I hope you can help me.

Thank you very much.

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hi,

I am a German citizen and my working holiday visa will expire on the 20th of May in 2015.
I would like to return to Canada after I visit Mexico or some other countries in Central or South America in spring 2015.
If I have correct information, I am allowed to return to Canada with my working holiday visa until it expires and I shoul be also allowed to visit Canada for six month without any application.
Is it possible to return to Canada after my trip to South America, if my working holiday visa is still valid and get instead of my valid working holiday visa, a six month tourist visa for a German citizen?

If that isn´t possible when would I be allowed or what I have to do, that I am allowed to return to Canada?

I hope you can help me.

Thank you very much.

1. If you don't intend to work when you return, tell the CBSA officer that you want to enter as visitor rather than a worker.

 

[MONKUCHA]

As I know as a German citizen you can enter Canada as a visitor without a paper visa, Germans gets their visas at the airport (stamp in a passport with expiry date) . If you have working holiday visa and you want to go outside Canada you can come back any time before your WP expires and you can enter canada as a work permit holder for the rest of the WP period. If you want to stay as a visitor you can tell at the airport that you will be here as visitor, or you can enter Canada as a worker, wait until you WP is about to expire and apply for visitor visa online (as an extension for your WP).

My friends did extend their working holiday visas before it expired and they got a visitor visa for another 6 months. There is a fee for visitor visa when applying online

 

[FK2014]

Thank you for the fast answers!

Hi

1. If you don't intend to work when you return, tell the CBSA officer that you want to enter as visitor rather than a worker.

I thought about this too, but what is if the CBSA officer don´t give me a six month visitor visa?
My problem is, that I have a car in Canada and if I can return for six month I wouldn´t sell my car.
But if I don´t get the six month visa I haven´t enough time after I returned to sell the car.
Thats why I would like to have valid information, because it will be expensive if I can´t sell my car until my WP expires.

As I know as a German citizen you can enter Canada as a visitor without a paper visa, Germans gets their visas at the airport (stamp in a passport with expiry date) . If you have working holiday visa and you want to go outside Canada you can come back any time before your WP expires and you can enter canada as a work permit holder for the rest of the WP period. If you want to stay as a visitor you can tell at the airport that you will be here as visitor, or you can enter Canada as a worker, wait until you WP is about to expire and apply for visitor visa online (as an extension for your WP).

My friends did extend their working holiday visas before it expired and they got a visitor visa for another 6 months. There is a fee for visitor visa when applying online

The risk to ask at the boarder is a bit high for me, because of my car.
I saw that I can extend my stay with an application but because of the case that German citizen don´t need a paper visa I am not sure, if I have to do that.

 

[MONKUCHA]

If you enter Canada on your Work permit you have to leave country when it expires. If you want to stay longer in Canada you have to reapply for visitor visa before your WP expires. That's the rule for all counters which do not need a visa to enter to Canada. When you enter Canada as a visitor you get a stamp from the officer and that is your "visa" If you come back as a worker and your work permit expires you have no right to stay in Canada. You need that magic stamp or reapply and extend your stay as a visitor.
If you don;t do that you will overstay your visa and it might cause problems when you come to Canada again.

 

[FK2014]

If you enter Canada on your Work permit you have to leave country when it expires. If you want to stay longer in Canada you have to reapply for visitor visa before your WP expires. That's the rule for all counters which do not need a visa to enter to Canada. When you enter Canada as a visitor you get a stamp from the officer and that is your "visa" If you come back as a worker and your work permit expires you have no right to stay in Canada. You need that magic stamp or reapply and extend your stay as a visitor.
If you don;t do that you will overstay your visa and it might cause problems when you come to Canada again.

Thank you for that, if I would like to stay longer I have to extend my stay and apply for a visitor visa.
I will do it in some days.

In case I stay longer in South America and my Working Holiday Visa will expire would I get the six month tourist visa for German citizen at the boarder?

 

[MONKUCHA]

Germany is a visa free country (they sometimes call it visa-free or visa on arrival) which means you can enter Canada as a visitor for a time indicated on the stamp (given on the border) 6 months is a max but sometimes officer has concerns so your visa can be granted for time shorter than 6 months. I know the situation when a friend came to Canada second time (after his WP expired) just to visit friends and he got a visa only for 3 weeks with a note in the passport that he has to report a return to the officer at the airport when flying back (in a exact day or before the date from the stamp)

 

[FK2014]

yes thats why I am not sure about all this. Thank you for this personal advices!
I will apply in some days and hope I can stay another six month for traveling.

Thank you for your fast help.

 

[MONKUCHA]

I am not sure if I understand your plans.

You have a work permit (working holiday) which will expire in May 2015.
You are planning to leave canada for some time and come back again.
After your WP expire you are planning to stay in Canada as a visitor?

What are you going to apply for "in some days"? Your visitor visa? Before leaving Canada and going South?

 

[FK2014]

I am not sure if I understand your plans.

You have a work permit (working holiday) which will expire in May 2015.
You are planning to leave canada for some time and come back again.
After your WP expire you are planning to stay in Canada as a visitor?

What are you going to apply for "in some days"? Your visitor visa? Before leaving Canada and going South?

My Working Holiday Visa willl expire in May 2015
I would like to travel from February maybe until May to South America and than I would like to return to Canada.
You sad I have to apply to extend my stay so I would send my application in some days that I know befor I leave if I can return.
My other though was, if I stay in South America until my Working Holiday Visa expires I could return and get a six month visa as a German tourist. But there is the problem that this depends of the CBSA officer and that risk is too high.

 

[MONKUCHA]

There is some misunderstanding

You can extend your stay in Canada no more than 3 months before your current visa (WP) expires. If you extend your stay you will get a visitor status valid only until you are in Canada. If you leave Canada that visa will not be valit any more. You will get a stamp in your passport with new date when you enter canada again.

So, if you go South and you will be back after your WP expire your only option is to count on immigration officer at the airport.
If you will be back in canada before your WP expire you can apply even a week before last date for extantion. As long as your application will be in process you will be fine. Than it will depands on the decision. You will be grantet with the extansion or not

Good luck

 

[FK2014]

MONKUCHA thank you very much and sorry for my missunderstanding.
I never needed a visa in europe....

I hope that is my last question.
If I have to apply no more than 3 month in advance that would be mid February.
I will be out of Canada at this time and I would like to now as early as possible, if I can stay longer.
So I would like to apply online from South America or isn´t that allowed to or are there more missunderstandings?
Because if I return before my Working Holiday Visa expires it should be fine or? Because I am allowed to leave and return to Canada during my valid Working Holiday Visa.

My plan
Leave Canada around February, apply mid of February and return in April or May before my Visa expires.
The best would be I get an answer before I return.

Thank you so much for your Help!!!

 

[MONKUCHA]

You don't know if you will enter Canada before or after your visa expires and as I said before you extension visa is only valid when you stay in the country.
You will not be able to use visa extension when coming back from another country as you are from visa-free country and you get a "visitor permit" every time you enter Canada.
Your visa extension can be granted only when you are in Canada. Even though your WP expires, you will not be able to extend it any way from outside.

So If I were you I would return to Canada before my WP expires. I would apply for visitor visa and wait for the respond.
If your visa expires but your application will be submitted you can stay in canada as long as you receive a confirmation.

I just check CIC website and found that you can apply NO MORE than 30 days before your current visa expires

 

[FK2014]

No I wouldn´t return after my Working Holiday Visa expires, because as you sad than I have to hope that the Officer at the boarder has a good day.

I return befor it expires and send than my application. I can apply only 30 days before and they need around 30 days do make the decision. Not very much time to sell a car, if I have to leave. But I think I can´t change the rules....

I explore South and be back in Canada that I can apply 30 days before my Visa expires and hope they like me and I can stay for another six month to see more of this awesome country.

Thank you so much MONKUCHA for you help. Have a good day.

 

[MONKUCHA]

No problem
Good luck