Canadian Government Gives Immigration Officers More Power, Ends Decade Old 10-year Visa Option

The Canadian government has updated its visa policy and guidelines, granting more authority to immigration officers.

This development, announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), is part of Canada’s strategy to manage temporary immigration levels, address housing shortages, and control the rising cost of living.

According to the IRCC, the new policy will no longer permit automatic 10-year multiple-entry visas for tourists.

Under this policy, frequent visitors to Canada, especially those traveling for work or leisure, may face increased application costs and shorter-term visas.

This decision ended the previous practice of automatically issuing long-term visas, which allowed multiple entries over a decade.

Investors King understands that Canada previously offered multiple-entry and single-entry visas to tourists.

The multiple-entry visa was particularly popular as it allowed visitors to enter the country multiple times for up to 10 years or until one month before their passport’s expiration date, while single-entry visas were issued for specific situations, such as official visits or single events.

As a result, single-entry visas were less common, with most applicants opting for the multiple-entry visa.

In its statement, IRCC emphasized that the old practice is no longer considered the standard.

“Guidance has been updated to indicate that multiple-entry visas issued to maximum validity are no longer considered the standard document,” the statement read.

Under the new policy, the Canadian government grants immigration officers the discretion to issue visas with shorter durations based on individual assessments.

Officers will exercise judgment in deciding the appropriate visa type and duration based on each traveler’s specific needs and circumstances.

The statement added, “Officers may exercise their judgment in deciding whether to issue a single or multiple-entry visa and in determining the validity period.”

IRCC also detailed that the Canadian government aims to balance immigration levels with Canada’s infrastructure capabilities, including lowering the target for permanent resident admissions from 500,000 to 395,000 in 2025.

It was further disclosed that plans are underway to reduce the target further by 2026 and 2027.