I'm Canadian - Do I Need a Visa?

[Canada Mouse 0]

Hello everyone,

I read on the U.S. Embassy website this: Canadian citizens do not require a visa to enter the United States directly from Canada for the purposes of visiting or studying

I live in Canada, I am a Canadian citizen and I have a Passport. I am registered to start college this fall in California.

I've always thought I needed a student visa to be able to go to college in the U.S. but then I read the above quote. Am I understanding it correctly?

Please someone tell me, to study in the U.S. if I'm Canadian, do I need a student visa?

Thanks so much!

[Sweetcheeksss 91]

You need a student/study visa. Without it, the maximum a Canadian can stay in the US is 6 months (and that's all dependent on the border guard when you cross)

[Canada Mouse 0]

You need a student/study visa. Without it, the maximum a Canadian can stay in the US is 6 months (and that's all dependent on the border guard when you cross)

Thanks for your answer Sweetcheeksss - Does that mean I will be able to apply for my visa when I am in the States? Or do I have to apply and receive my visa before entering the States?

[BlueBonnet 84]

The Visa Waiver Program, which Canadians are a part of ... although they do get better benefits. Most people on the VWP get a 3 month pass, Canadians get a 6 month pass.

This is only a "tourist" visa.

You may NOT work or go to school. You may only visit on the VWP.

If you want to work, or go to school as is with your case, you must apply for a student visa.

[Sweetcheeksss 91]

Canada does NOT participate in the visa waiver program.

And no, Canadians can't work nor study while visiting.

[Canada Mouse 0]

The Visa Waiver Program, which Canadians are a part of ... although they do get better benefits. Most people on the VWP get a 3 month pass, Canadians get a 6 month pass.

This is only a "tourist" visa.

You may NOT work or go to school. You may only visit on the VWP.

If you want to work, or go to school as is with your case, you must apply for a student visa.

Thanks for the response BlueBonnet, that seems to make more sense. But what does the Embassy refer to when it states no visa is needed to study? And will I be able to attend school for the first 6 months if I have a visa application being processed?

[Canada Mouse 0]

I would like to include the link and full quote to which I am referring. Will someone be able to interpret the meaning for me?

http://canada.usembassy.gov/visas/information-for-canadians.html

Canadian citizens do not require a visa to enter the United States directly from Canada for the purposes of visiting or studying. However, as of 23 January 2007, all Canadians entering the U.S. require passports. For further information on passport requirements, please consult the relevant page on this site.

There are some exceptions to this rule -- for example, intending immigrants, fiances or investors must qualify for a visa before entry in the same manner as other nationalities. Other entrants, such as journalists, temporary workers or NAFTA professionals must present all necessary supporting documentation and/or approved petitions directly to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer at the Port of Entry. For information on Visas or Doing Business in the United States, please see the relevant sections of this website.

Please be sure to check the U.S. Customs and Border Protection web site for the latest updates on U.S. entry requirements for Canadians and others.

Canadian visitors are generally granted a stay in the U.S. for up to six months at the time of entry. Requests to extend or adjust a stay must be made prior to expiry to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. All Canadians are reminded that U.S. law requires all foreigners to qualify for the desired stay and purpose at the time of their intial entry. A visitor who intends to live, work or study in the U.S. without disclosing this information beforehand may be permanently barred from the U.S.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Canada Mouse

[Inky 1,110]

http://canada.usembassy.gov/visas/visas/student-and-exchange-visas.html

You need to be reading this page. You need a student visa.

[Canada Mouse 0]

http://canada.usembassy.gov/visas/visas/student-and-exchange-visas.html

You need to be reading this page. You need a student visa.

Thanks so much for the link Inky! This site says I need to get my I-20. Does that mean I won't have to get a student visa at all, or just for the first little bit? The problem I seem to be having with reading these websites is that it sounds like they are saying one thing and then a few lines down they say something opposite...

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Harpa Timsah

[canadian_wife 1,822]

As someone who has studied in the US, you ABSOLUTLY need a student visa

Has the school you've been accepted to issued you an I20? Have you paid your SEVIS fee?

You'll absolutly need:

When you cross the border to study you will need to provide the Officer at the port of entry:

•Proof of identity and citizenship (a Canadian passport for example)

•The original I-20 (or DS-2019) certificate

•Proof that you have paid your SEVIS fee

•Proof that you have the funds to pay for the school that you plan to attend

•Proof of your ties to Canada

Has any of this happened or have you just been accpeted into a college? what college is it?

Good luck

[Benjamin44 10]

Thanks so much for the link Inky! This site says I need to get my I-20. Does that mean I won't have to get a student visa at all, or just for the first little bit? The problem I seem to be having with reading these websites is that it sounds like they are saying one thing and then a few lines down they say something opposite...

I think I can clear up this misunderstanding for you, as a Canadian citizen who has, in the past, been an F-1 student in the U.S. The misunderstanding you are experiencing is because of the confusion of two different terms: VISA and STATUS.

A VISA is a sticker that is placed in one's passport, which allows one to apply for admission at a port-of-entry under the specific status indicated on the visa. Visas are issued by Embassies or Consulates abroad, and obtaining one involves a lot of pre-preparation in one's home country, including having to pay fees, attend an interview, provide extensive documentation, and concive an Consular Officer that you qualify for the visa. The process serves as a pre-screening to individuals who do not qualify for the status for which they are seeking. Most entrants to the U.S. require a visa, and so need to undergo this pre-screening process at an Embassy/Consulate abroad before they come. Exceptions are the participants in the Visa-Waiver Program (of which Canada is NOT a part), who can enter without a visa to VISIT ONLY for a 90-day period. The other exception is Canada, who has its own special rules. Canadians almost NEVER need to apply for a visa at an Embassy/Consulate abroad; the exceptions are for immigrants, for K-1 applicants, and for certain investors. This what the embassy website means when it says Canadians don't need visas to enter the U.S.

However, this does not mean that Canadians can just simply show up in the U.S. with just their passports, and go work and/or study there. They most definitely can NOT do this!! This is what canadian_wife, Inky, and Sweetcheeksss mean above when they say you need a student visa; what they mean to say is you need student STATUS. A STATUS of an alien (non-U.S. citizen) determines what that person is permitted to do while in the U.S., and often also determines how long they can stay. Canadians are still not U.S. citizens, and so they need to have the appropriate immigration status depending on the purpose of their trip; the difference is that they don't need to go through the pre-screening, visa process at an Embassy/Consulate before they arrive- rather, they can apply for their status directly at a port-of-entry to the United States. This is true for F-1 students, TN work status, etc. Only Canadians have the ability obtain these statuses without first obtaining a visa.

If you just show up with a passport, they will give you B-1 visitor status, and you won't be able to work or, in your case, study. You would only be able to visit. If you want to be able to study, you need to present the CBP border guard with the evidence that you qualify for that status. This includes the Form I-20 issued by your school, proof that you have paid the SEVIS Fee (easiest is to pay online and print the receipt), and anything else on the site that inky posted. Then they will give you F-1 Student STATUS at the border, and you can study. So, you do need to do a little preparation in advance of your trip, unlike if you were just visiting. But, of course, it is NOWHERE CLOSE to the advance time any other nationality-holder would have to go through. In my case, I did the entire preparation 2 days before I left- and that included the time it took for the I-20 to arrive by courier. For anyone else, it could take close to 6 months to obtain a student visa, depending on the country.

Hope this helps clear it up!

[bigdog 376]

Hello everyone,

I read on the U.S. Embassy website this: Canadian citizens do not require a visa to enter the United States directly from Canada for the purposes of visiting or studying

I live in Canada, I am a Canadian citizen and I have a Passport. I am registered to start college this fall in California.

I've always thought I needed a student visa to be able to go to college in the U.S. but then I read the above quote. Am I understanding it correctly?

Please someone tell me, to study in the U.S. if I'm Canadian, do I need a student visa?

Thanks so much!

Canadians get a break, get a student / work visa and you will be fine.

[Boiler 45,488]

Did not the International Student Dept say something?

[Canada Mouse 0]

I think I can clear up this misunderstanding for you, as a Canadian citizen who has, in the past, been an F-1 student in the U.S. The misunderstanding you are experiencing is because of the confusion of two different terms: VISA and STATUS.

A VISA is a sticker that is placed in one's passport, which allows one to apply for admission at a port-of-entry under the specific status indicated on the visa. Visas are issued by Embassies or Consulates abroad, and obtaining one involves a lot of pre-preparation in one's home country, including having to pay fees, attend an interview, provide extensive documentation, and concive an Consular Officer that you qualify for the visa. The process serves as a pre-screening to individuals who do not qualify for the status for which they are seeking. Most entrants to the U.S. require a visa, and so need to undergo this pre-screening process at an Embassy/Consulate abroad before they come. Exceptions are the participants in the Visa-Waiver Program (of which Canada is NOT a part), who can enter without a visa to VISIT ONLY for a 90-day period. The other exception is Canada, who has its own special rules. Canadians almost NEVER need to apply for a visa at an Embassy/Consulate abroad; the exceptions are for immigrants, for K-1 applicants, and for certain investors. This what the embassy website means when it says Canadians don't need visas to enter the U.S.

However, this does not mean that Canadians can just simply show up in the U.S. with just their passports, and go work and/or study there. They most definitely can NOT do this!! This is what canadian_wife, Inky, and Sweetcheeksss mean above when they say you need a student visa; what they mean to say is you need student STATUS. A STATUS of an alien (non-U.S. citizen) determines what that person is permitted to do while in the U.S., and often also determines how long they can stay. Canadians are still not U.S. citizens, and so they need to have the appropriate immigration status depending on the purpose of their trip; the difference is that they don't need to go through the pre-screening, visa process at an Embassy/Consulate before they arrive- rather, they can apply for their status directly at a port-of-entry to the United States. This is true for F-1 students, TN work status, etc. Only Canadians have the ability obtain these statuses without first obtaining a visa.

If you just show up with a passport, they will give you B-1 visitor status, and you won't be able to work or, in your case, study. You would only be able to visit. If you want to be able to study, you need to present the CBP border guard with the evidence that you qualify for that status. This includes the Form I-20 issued by your school, proof that you have paid the SEVIS Fee (easiest is to pay online and print the receipt), and anything else on the site that inky posted. Then they will give you F-1 Student STATUS at the border, and you can study. So, you do need to do a little preparation in advance of your trip, unlike if you were just visiting. But, of course, it is NOWHERE CLOSE to the advance time any other nationality-holder would have to go through. In my case, I did the entire preparation 2 days before I left- and that included the time it took for the I-20 to arrive by courier. For anyone else, it could take close to 6 months to obtain a student visa, depending on the country.

Hope this helps clear it up!

Thanks so much for the detailed response Benjamin44, that really cleared a lot up for me. Now just to double check, I don't have to do the visa process where I schedule an interview and do all that, right? I just fill out the I-20 (already found it on my college's website), have the receipt for the paid SEVIS fee, have a bank statement for my college funds, have my passport, and then I'm basically good to go?

And can anyone tell me how to prove my ties to Canada?