Canada

Visa Information

Country coverage

The visa office provides immigration and visa services to clients in Canada, Central America and the Caribbean including: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guadaloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre et Miquelon, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands.
Note: From 1 August 2011, permanent and certain temporary visa applications from clients in Cuba and Central America can be lodged and processed in the Australian High Commission, Ottawa, Canada.
See: Visa lodgement and processing arrangements for clients from Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama ( 73KB PDF file)

Permanent entry visas

Permanent entry visa applications (except general skilled, business skills, Distinguished Talent (subclass 124), Former Resident (subclass 151) and parent subclasses) from the countries in the above country coverage list are lodged, processed and decided at the Australian High Commission, Ottawa.

General skilled migration applications are lodged at the Adelaide Skilled Processing Centre.
See: General Skilled Migration Processing Centres

Business skills applications are lodged and processed at the Perth Business Skills Processing Centre.
See: Perth Business Skills Processing Centre

Applications under the Special Migration stream – Distinguished Talent (subclass 124) and Former Resident (subclass 151), are lodged and processed at the Perth Office.
See:
Perth Office
Distinguished Talent Visa Enquiry form

Contributory parent and parent migration applications are lodged and processed at the Parent Visa Centre.
See: Parent Visa Centre

Temporary entry visas

Passport holders from Canada are eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) through travel agents and airlines.
See: Electronic Travel Authority – Online Applications

Passport holders from Canada are eligible to apply online for a Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417).
See: Working Holiday Visa – Online Applications

Passport holders from Canada are eligible to apply online for a Student visa. Some Mexican nationals may be eligible to apply online for a Student visa.
See: Students

Paper temporary entry visa applications for persons residing in the above country coverage list are processed and decided by the Australian High Commission in Ottawa.
Exception: Temporary entry visa applications for persons residing in Cuba and Central America for the following subclasses will be lodged and processed at the Australian Embassy, Mexico:

• Business Short Stay (subclass 456)
• Medical Treatment Short Stay (subclass 675)
• Tourist (subclass 676)
• Medical Treatment Long Stay (subclass 685)
• Transit (subclass 771)

416 Special Program applications are lodged and processed at the Hobart Special Program Processing Centre.
See: Hobart Special Program Processing Centre

420 Entertainment sponsorship and visa applications are lodged and processed at the Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre.
See: Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre

442 Occupational Trainee sponsorship and visa applications are lodged and processed at the Adelaide Occupational Trainee Processing Centre.
See: Adelaide Occupational Trainee Processing Centre

Sponsored Family Visitor visa (subclass 679) applications must be lodged in Australia by the sponsor. 679 Sponsored Family Visitor visas will be processed at one of the Sponsored Family Visitor processing centres.
See: Sponsored Family Visitor Processing Centres

If you are sponsored by an Australian employer for a subclass 457 Business (Long Stay) visa, you may lodge your visa application online or at an Australian office of the department. If you are sponsored by an overseas business, you can lodge your visa application with the Australian Immigration Office responsible for applications in your country.
See:
Centres of Excellence
Online Applications

If you are sponsored by an Australian employer, you must lodge your visa application at the same office in Australia where your employer lodged papers to support your application. Please ask your employer where they lodged these papers.
See: Contact Us – Australian Offices

Citizenship

Applications for Citizenship by Descent can be lodged at the Australian High Commission, Canada.

All applications for Australian citizenship general eligibility and other situations, and applications to resume or renounce (give up) Australian citizenship should be lodged at the Melbourne CBD Office.
See:
Application process for Australian citizenship
Application process to resume Australian citizenship
Giving up your citizenship
Melbourne CBD Office

Special procedures

Ottawa is also responsible for all immigration and citizenship matters for residents of Bermuda. Consular matters for Australian citizens in Bermuda are handled by the Australian High Commission, Ottawa, Canada.
See: Canada – Contacts