How to Apply for a Canada Visitor Visa Online

This is a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a Canada visitor visa online. In most instances, you will always need a visa to travel to a foreign country.

Canada Visitor Visa Online Application
Create an Account for Canada Visitor Visa Online

There are some instances where a country permits citizens of certain countries to enter their territory without a visa. However, this is when they meet specific travel requirements.

A good example, in this case, is the East African Community where if you are a member you only need to have a valid or a temporally passport.

The Seven Steps You Follow to Apply for a Canadian Visitor Visa from Kenya

  • Identify the visa type for your trip.
  • Begin your application.
  • Book an appointment from the available Visa Application Centre in your country.
  • Pay your visa fees.
  • Visit a visa application centre to attend your scheduled biometric appointment.
  • Track your application to stay informed about the progress of your application.
  • Collect your passport if you have been granted a visa.

Canadian Visa Types You Can Apply for

  • Visit as a tourist
  • Visit family
  • Study Permit
  • Work Permit
  • Permanent Resident Travel Document
  • Transit through Canada

What is a Canadian Visitor Visa?

A Canadian visitor visa (also called a temporary resident visa) is an official document that is stuck in your passport. It shows that you meet the requirements needed to enter Canada.

Most travellers need a visitor visa to travel to Canada. You may also need one if you’re transiting through a Canadian airport on your way to your final destination.

You can apply for a Canadian visitor visa online or on paper. Online application is much easier.

How Long Can You Stay in Canada?

Most visitors can stay for up to 6 months in Canada.

At the port of entry, the border services officer may allow you to stay for less or more than 6 months. If so, they’ll put the date you need to leave in your passport. They might also give you a document, called a visitor record, which will show the date you need to leave by.

Canada Visitor Visa Online Application
Create your recovery questions

Basic Requirements to Get a Canada Visitor Visa

  • Have a valid travel document, like a passport
  • You must be in good health
  • Have no criminal or immigration-related convictions
  • Convince an immigration officer that you have ties such as a job, home, financial assets or family that will make you go back to your home country.
  • Convince an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit.
  • Have enough money for your stay. Provide a bank statement, and Mpesa statement, among others to prove this.
  • Travel history from different countries. Scan your passport pages with travel stamps from countries you have visited.
Create Account for Canada Visitor Visa Online Application
Create an Account for Canada Visitor Visa Online Application

Starting the Canada Visitor Visa Application Process

Access the IRCC website (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) to create your account. For a first-time user click on register to create your secure account. There are two ways you can register.

  1. Register With a GCKey
    This is a simple way for anyone to access Canadian online visa services. You create an account and get a username and password. OR
  2. Register with a Sign-In Partner
    Use your online Canadian banking information to register for an account. You must have an online bank account with one of their Sign-In Partners.

Use the first option and accept the terms and conditions to create your account.

Your Password must be between eight and sixteen characters, contain at least one upper case letter, one lower case letter and one digit, and must not contain 3 or more consecutive characters from your Username.

Create your recovery questions and better note the answers somewhere. You will need them every time you log into your account.

Canadian Visitor Visa Application
Canadian Visitor Visa Application

Optional Account Recovery

To recover your username and password, you have the option to recover via email. If you do not wish to provide an email address at this time, you skip this step. Email can be added later.

Your Email is Used to;

  • Confirm your email address
  • Recover your username and/or password
  • Notify you of account changes
  • A verification email is sent to the address you provide.

Continue to Finish Setting Up Your Account

Create your security questions. You will need to answer one of your security questions each time you access your account. You will have two tries to answer the question. 

If you can’t answer the first security question, you are asked another one of your four questions. If you can’t answer any of your security questions, your account is locked.  You will not be able to recover your account online.

Create new security questions that are difficult to guess but easy for you to remember.

Go through the Personal checklist

Canadian Visitor Visa Application
How to Start your Online Canada Visa Application

Find Out If You’re Eligible to Apply for Canada Visitor Visa

Find out if you’re eligible to apply by filling out the provided form. In this stage, you answer simple questions about your intent to visit Canada.

  • What would you like to do in Canada?
  • How long are you planning to stay in Canada?
  • Select the code that matches the one on your passport (Nationality).
  • Indicate your current country/territory of residence.
  • Do you have a family member who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and is 18 years or older?
  • Provide your date of birth.
  • Have you lived in Canada as a permanent resident or landed immigrant?
  • Are you a lawful permanent resident of the United States with a valid U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) number?
  • What is your marital status?
  • What is your province of destination? If visiting multiple provinces, select the one in which you will be spending most of your time.
  • What is the main purpose of your visit?
Your Saved Canadian Visa Application
Your Saved Canadian Visa Application
Canada Visitor Visa Questions Continued
  • Do you have a job in the country where you currently live?
  • Do you own a business in the country where you currently live?
  • Do you depend on someone for financial support?
  • Have you travelled to other countries in the previous 10 years?
  • Are you accompanying a family member that has status in Canada, or has recently been approved to come to Canada?
  • Have you ever committed, been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any criminal offence in any country?
  • Have you had a medical exam performed by an IRCC-authorized panel physician (doctor) within the last 12 months?
  • Do you want to submit an application for a family member?
  • Are you giving someone access to your application?
  • In the past 10 years, have you given your fingerprints and photo (biometrics) for an application to come to Canada?
  • Will you be paying your fees or are you fee exempt?
  • Are you able to make a digital copy of your documents with a scanner or camera?
  • Will you be paying your application fees online? To pay online, you can use a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, China Union Pay) or a Visa Debit or Debit MasterCard.

Submitting Your Application for Canadian Visa

Step 1: Use Your Account

Log into your account to apply. Do not use another person’s account.

Step 2: Save Your Application

If you select the exit button, your information will be saved and you will return to your account home page.

You can continue your application at any time by logging into your account and selecting the e-Application link under the In-Progress section.

You have 60 days to submit your online application. The number of days remaining to submit your application appears on your account home page. If your application is not submitted within 60 days, it will automatically be deleted.

Canadian Visa Application Documents Upload
Upload Your Visa Application Documents

Step 3: Upload Your Documents

Here are some guidelines for your documents:

Your form(s) and document(s) must be in an electronic format.

You do not need to sign your application form by hand if you submit your application form online. You will be asked to provide a digital signature once you are ready to transmit your documents.

One file will be allowed per document type. For example, if you are asked to provide multiple pages of your passport, you must scan and save all pages as one file.

You will be required to upload every requested form and document. You will not be able to proceed to the next steps until you upload every form/document.

If you are not sure what kind of document is required, click on the help feature provided. You will get more information about each form or document.

The maximum size for each file is 4 MB (four megabytes).

Accepted File Formats:
  • PDF (Portable Document)
  • JPG, TIFF, or PNG (Image)
  • DOC or DOCX (Microsoft Word Document.

If your file is bigger than 4 MB, you should reduce the size.

Step 4: Pay Your Visa Fees

Once electronically signed in, you will be asked to pay your fees. Your fees must be made with a credit card. Provide your credit card information to complete your payment.

Accepted cards are Visa, MasterCard, American Express and certain prepaid credit cards.

Once you have paid your fee, you will receive a payment confirmation page. After your payment is processed, you will receive a message with your confirmation number and a link to your payment receipt. Print this page for your records.

Step 5: Schedule Your Biometrics

In the past ten years, have you given your fingerprints and photo (biometrics) for an application to come to Canada?

If you have not done so you need to do so. This is through the VFS Global Website.

Step 6: Track Your Application

After your appointment, track your Canada Visa application status by logging into your account. Alternatively, you can keep checking your email as they always communicate whenever an action is required from you.

When Your Canada Visitor Visa Online Application is Approved

When you submit your documents while applying, they are scrutinized by visa officers. Once they determine you are to be given a visa, you are requested to submit your passport to the visa application centre. After submitting your passport, it will take less than a week for you to be issued a Canadian Visa.

Your Guide To Building A Successful Mobile Or Web App For Your Business

Building a Successful Mobile App
Mobile AppSource

If you want your company to survive and thrive in the year 2022 and beyond, then you need to get with the times and put your company online. In addition to creating a flashy website, you also need to develop a smart mobile app that will help your customers make smarter buying decisions and help you to get ahead of the competition.

Here at Winstar Technologies, we know how important evolving tech can be to a growing business, so we have some tips for projects you can start and how to see success.

Why You Need a Mobile App

These days, the only way to truly grab the attention of your customers is to get your website in front of their faces wherever they may be. To do so, you will need to create a mobile app. Studies show that consumers check their phones at least 96 times per day. They are often just searching the internet looking for something to do. Your website could be what grabs their attention. 

Your mobile website can advertise your products, provide the option for customers to make online purchases, and it can be a great place to put your positive customer reviews. Many times, all it takes is one positive review for a customer to pick you over the competition. So you need to show that your business is worth their attention.

A person checking his phone
A person checking his phoneSource

Learn to Facilitate Communication and Collaboration with Scrum

Now that you know why you need a mobile app, it is time to get started. For your project to be a success, it is essential that your team is on the same page and that you are all working towards a common goal.

One way to do that is to use scrum, which is a framework for project management that allows you to develop software with smart organization and effective coaching. 

If you are unfamiliar with scrum and its components for success, then it is a wise idea to get further education before you start building your new app. For the best course for advanced scrum master training, consider getting an online degree. You will be able to learn and still manage your company and family responsibilities.

A class in scrum will teach you about helpful coaching strategies, how to set and meet metrics, and tips to mitigate dependencies, among other important lessons. In the end, you can take a comprehensive assessment to evaluate your skills. 

Find the Right Developers for the Mobile App

While you may be able to do a lot of the work in-house, some concepts and technology may be a bit advanced, and you may need to bring in professional web developers to assist. When finding qualified web developers, you can start by searching on job sites including Indeed, AngelList, and Google for Jobs. Read through several resumes and look for the skills that your project requires.

Once you have a shortlist, you should invite potential developers for interviews. At that time, ask them if they have worked on a project similar to this before. If they have, how did it go? You can also ask if they have additional skills that may bring your project to the next level. Finally, ask if they have a portfolio of previous apps that you might use for inspiration.

Testing Is Key

There is no better feeling than adding the finishing touches to your app. Once the main programming is done, there is still some work to do in the form of testing. It is essential that you work out all of the kinks before you send this out to the public. This is because if there are any issues after launch then it will be bad news for your organization.

Testing requires several steps. First, you will want to put the app through rigorous in-house testing by trying every possible scenario and end result that a customer should expect. Once you work out those kinks, then you should bring in a small group of outsiders to test the app for a few days as they go about their regular routine. They should write down every issue they encounter and then report back.

There are numerous metrics that you will want to look out for, including:

  • The speed of the application.
  • If all images show up correctly.
  • If testers are able to make a successful purchase.
  • If testers can navigate the app with ease.
  • How much battery consumption the app uses.

That is just a limited list. Think about anything else your customers might expect and make sure that your app will deliver.

As you can see, there are many steps to creating a successful mobile app. But if you follow these tips then you will be on the right track. Just remember that creating an app requires detailed planning, good developers, and the ability to facilitate communication and collaboration. If you would like to know more about the services offered by Winstar Technologies, then contact us at info@winstartechnologies.com.

Strange Young Lady – Presage of Downfall Chapter 2 – 4

If you missed the previous part, check it out here

The woman in braids gave the strange young lady a seat. She sat on the edge of the comfortable velvet sofa set as if she was afraid of making it dirty. She rested her slim hands on her knees and tried to relax and feel at home as she had been told.

The young lady
The young ladySource

The owner of the house (her supposition) disappeared into a small corridor. The young lady had a look at the room. It was a swish room as far as she could see. A wonderful room she had neither seen nor dreamt of in her life.

At the far end, a 42-inch plasma TV was housed in a resplendent mahogany cabinet. The cabinet door handles were made of gold. On top of the TV was a five DVD changer supplying the room with soft heart-touching love ballets.

Velvet sofa sets surrounded two large round teak tables with legs carved like ivory. The four walls of the spacious room were covered with beautiful exotic Vitenges imported from one of the East African countries.

Beautiful flowers were placed in strategic places making the room have the appearance of a palace. There were many carvings of wild animals, birds and even aquatic life. Most of them were carved from ivory while the rest were made from expensive wood plundered from typical African forests.

Persian Carpet

The Persian carpet covering the floor was soothing her tired soles. The room had so many strange things. She wanted to turn her head and have a better view of it but heard faint footsteps approaching. They came from the main door. Then a man’s voice was heard.

“Is there anybody home?” Then he called, “Susan, I am back.”

The lady heard a key being inserted and the door swung open silently.

“Hey darling, I am back. You …” The man stood in his tracks and peered at the young lady.

“I am sorry,” he said moving towards her and shaking her hand. “Forgive me for making a lot of noise.” He apologized, and then he moved and sat on the opposite sofa set.

“Well I am Machira, what’s yours?” he asked leaning back on the sofa with the aura of an important man.

“Oh! Honey, you are back.” The woman referred to as Susan burst in carrying drinks.

She placed them on a small table, served and invited them to drink. Machira and the young lady gulped their drinks and it was obvious the hot midday sun had made them thirsty. Susan drank hers slowly probably savouring its taste and occasionally smiling at Machira.

Check out the next part here!

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