The Emergency Visa to Visit Canada

Updated on Oct 30, 2023 | Canada eTA

The emergency visa to visit Canada is an exclusive service available for foreign nationals who want to visit Canada for a crisis or urgent reason such as the death of a close relative, a medical appointment, seeking safe refuge, visiting the court for legal proceedings, etc.

As the name suggests, the Canada emergency visitor visa allows easy and quick access to visiting Canada for people living in other countries, when they cannot consider the time-consuming visa options like business visa, tourist visa, or medical visa. You can obtain the Canada emergency visitor visa, also known as Emergency Canadian ETA quickly. But you cannot use the Canada emergency visa for business or leisure purposes like sightseeing or meeting a friend. When you apply for an emergency visa in Canada, the immigration officer will thoroughly check the application to ensure the situation comes under “Emergency” category. Since this is an emergency visitor visa, the visa offices process cases on weekends also.

How Emergency Visa Application Is Different from an Urgent eTA for Canada?

It’s very common for applicants to get confused between these two terms as they seem much like the same.

Emergency Situation- This can be called a condition when something unexpected happens, such as an urgent medical appointment, the death of a close relative, or a sudden sickness. Apart from this, any other incident that necessitates your immediate presence in Canada. In most countries, you can apply emergency visa online though some cases require the applicant’s in-person visit to the Canadian Embassy to apply for a Canada emergency visa application. Since the consulate processes emergency visa application on weekends, there’s not much waiting so you may get your visa in the quickest period feasible. 

The maximum processing time for a Canada emergency visa application is up to 48 hours. But the processing time depends on the severity and the number of cases on hand.

What is Emergency Canadian eTA Case?

For an individual applying for an emergency visitor visa through eTA mode, it is mandatory to connect with the Canadian eTA Help Desk to get approval for applying online. The help desk will guide with relevant information. In case of a death of a close relative, it is important to visit the Canadian embassy to apply for Canada emergency visitor visa.

Fill up the application form completely, and avoid submitting multiple applications at the same time as there are chances for your application to be rejected as redundant.

To apply for a Canada emergency visitor visa at the Embassy, visit before 2 p.m. local time in most embassies. For the eTA case, you can apply through https://www.eta-canada-visa.org, and you will get Emergency Canadian Visa by email. You can download the attached PDF of emergency visa Canada and take a printout to carry a hard copy to the airport instantly.

What Cases Will Be Eligible for emergency eTA?

Emergency Medical Care - When you need urgent medical care or need to follow a relative or receive medical treatment in Canada, you are eligible to apply for a Canada emergency visitor visa using the specific documentation like:

  • A letter from your doctor detailing your medical condition.
  • A letter from a Canadian doctor regarding the case and estimated cost of the treatment.
  • Proof of funds that you will use to pay for the treatment.

Illness or injury or a relative - Candidates can apply for an emergency visitor visa to provide medical care for a close relative who has been extremely ill or has a severe injury in Canada. Certain documentation may be required to support your visa application.

  • A letter or document, containing information about the disease or damage.
  • Evidence regarding the injured relative.

For funeral or Death - Apply for an emergency visa application to attend the burial of or plan to bring the dead body of a close relative in Canada. You must produce the following documents for visa processing:

  • A letter from the funeral director containing the details about the deceased.
  • Documents to show proof of a relationship with the dead.

Business purpose - You may be eligible to apply for an emergency visa in Canada when you need to attend to a business concern that you did not expect ahead of time. Note: not all business trips are an emergency. So, make sure to explain why you were unable to make travel arrangements in advance. Supporting documents required for emergency visa Canada include:

  • Show a letter from the concerned firm located in Canada regarding the urgency to attend the meeting, along with the importance of the scheduled visit.

The Benefits of Using Emergency eTA To Visit Canada?

The Canada Visa Online (eTA Canada) is a digital way to apply for an emergency visa Canada, which involves completely paperless processing. This way, applicants need not visit a Canadian Embassy, and it’s valid for both the air and sea routes. 

  • No need to have a passport with a page to get stamped
  • Option to make payment for visa processing in 133 currencies
  • Canadian eTA application is completed in 1 to 3 working days.
  • Suitable for people applying for Medical, Business, Conference, and Medical Attendant visas.

Eligible Countries for Emergency Canada ETA

Here is the list of the countries that are eligible for Canada ETA. 

Andorra    Czech Republic    Latvia

Australia    Denmark    Liechtenstein

Austria    Estonia    Lithuania

Bahamas    Finland    Luxembourg

Barbados    France    Malta

Belgium    Germany    Mexico

Brunei    Greece    Monaco

Bulgaria    Hong Kong    Netherlands

Chile    Hungary    New Zealand

Croatia    Iceland    Norway

Cyprus    Ireland    Papua New Guinea

San Marino    Israel    Poland

Singapore    Italy    Portugal

Slovakia    Japan    Romania

Slovenia    South Korea    Samoa

Solomon Islands    Switzerland    United Kingdom

Spain    Taiwan    United Arab Emirates

Sweden        Vatican City

Process To Apply For The Rush Process Of Emergency Canadian ETA

For candidates who want to use the fast-track Canada ETA service, it is mandatory to follow certain steps. When paying for ETA costs, you must choose Emergency assured processing in less than 1 hour.

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Travellers with clinical gadgets should know about rules and guidelines when going to Canada via airplane or cruise ship. Getting a Canadian Visa Online has never been simple from this Official Canada Visa website.  Learn more at Canada Visa for Medical Patients


Check your eligibility for eTA Canada Visa and apply for eTA Canada Visa 72 hours in advance of your flight. British citizens, Italian citizens, Spanish citizens, French citizens, Israeli citizens, South Korean citizens, Portuguese citizens, and Brazilian citizens can apply online for Canada Online Visa.