Canada Tightens Immigration, Cancels Automatic 10-Year Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa 

By  Ayo Kehinde

The Canadian government has amended its tourist visa policy, ending the practice of routinely granting 10-year multiple-entry visas.

According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the measure is part of a broader strategy aimed at managing temporary immigration levels, addressing housing shortages, and controlling the rising cost of living.

Under the previous system, IRCC issued two types of tourist visas: multiple entry and single entry. However, applicants did not need to choose between them, as all applicants were automatically considered for a multiple-entry visa. This allowed visitors to enter Canada multiple times over the visa’s validity period, which could extend up to 10 years or until one month before the passport’s expiry, whichever was sooner.

For single-entry visas, travellers could only enter Canada once. These visas were generally reserved for specific cases, such as official visits by foreign nationals eligible for fee exemptions, participation in one-time events in Canada, or situations governed by country-specific guidelines. Once holders of single-entry visas left Canada, they would typically need a new visa to re-enter.

Under the new guidance, multiple-entry visas with maximum validity will no longer be the standard. Officers now have the discretion to assess each applicant individually and decide whether to issue a single-entry or multiple-entry visa based on need. The duration of these visas may also vary, depending on the traveller’s specific circumstances.

“Guidance has been updated to indicate that multiple-entry visas issued to maximum validity are no longer considered to be the standard document. Officers may exercise their judgement in deciding whether to issue a single or multiple-entry visa and in determining the validity period”, said IRCC.

The IRCC earlier announced in October that in a revised target for permanent residents, the immigration goal for 2025 has been reduced from 500,000 to 395,000.

The target for 2026 will drop from 500,000 to 380,000, and in 2027 Canada plans to admit 365,000 permanent residents.