A dear young friend and I have been planning her travel for a short while now, carrying out checks and adjustments to ensure that her application is successful. We had one of our travel conversations again a few days ago and she mentioned that her plan, after we secure her tourist visa to France is to apply for a Permanent Residence visa to go and live in Canada.
In the course of the conversation she realized that having a sibling in Canada is not all there is to bring that dream to life. It is an advantage and one of the legal ways one may get a PR, but definitely not a guarantee. There is a handful of requirements that should be met which is quite different from those that will give you a temporary visa to go and visit that sibling. They are two entirely different ball games.
In this article I will give a general overview of the two major categories of visas mostly in bullet points. However, I hope to elaborate further, at another time, in one of the subsequent articles.
The two broad categories are:
• Immigrant visas
• Non immigrant visas
All visas come under either one of these categories.
IMMIGRANT VISAS
An immigrant visa is issued to a foreign national who intends to live and work permanently in another country
• Through family
• Through employment
• Through investment
• Through refugee or asylum status
• Through “The Registry” or other legal forms of marriage
• Through the diversity lottery (USA)
• Through the director of the CIA (USA)
These are the legal means through which a person may be granted an immigrant visa if they meet all other requirements.
Immigrant visas are referred to differently in different countries. For instance it is referred to as
• Permanent Residence – PR in Canada
• Indefinite Leave to Remain or Settlement in the UK
• Green Card or Permanent Residence Card in the USA
Possession of an immigrant visa does not make you a citizen of that country. Although, it is a pathway to citizenship.
You can apply for an immigrant visa from within the country if you have been there legitimately for an extended period , as in the case of a student who pursues further studies after completing the first or gets employment after studying
You can also apply from outside the country if you are legally qualified and have met the requirements, as in the case of a couple, where a spouse is seeking to join the other, or a child joining a parent and vice versa.
NON IMMIGRANT VISAS
Non immigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals seeking to enter a country on a temporary basis
• For tourism
• For study
• For business
• For medical treatment
• For certain types of temporary work
Non immigrant visas are commonly referred to in different countries as either
• Visitor visa
• Student visa
So the kind of visitor visa you apply for will be determined by the purpose of your visit and the immigration rules governing that visa. For instance, a person who is visiting to take an educational course that is about 1 month or less in the UK will apply for a visitor visa which will allow them undertake short term study, whereas a person who has been admitted to study long term, say a year or more, will apply for a student visa.
So, apart from those who apply for long term study who are issued a student visa, most other visitors, irrespective of the purpose of their visit are issued a visitor visa specifying the purpose of their visit. Whether business, medical, tourism/leisure and so on.
Suffice to say that it is expedient that you get the appropriate information to guide you in choosing the right type of visa before you start the application process. You can get expert information and assistance every step of the way here https://approvedentry.com/visa/
Cheers to your travel dreams come true.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
Visa requirements change constantly but we make every effort to keep the information accurate and up to date. We provide links to official sources wherever necessary, so you can conduct your own due diligence to verify the visa requirements before you begin the application process or set out to visit any country. We shall not be held liable for any damages incurred as a result of using the information in this article.
