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My question may look similar to another question, but it still doesn't answer my query.

I have submitted the application and still haven't been asked to pay a fee (When I completed the application, it said my total fee is 0 CAD. I'm not sure if it will change in the future.)

Also like I've said, my application has been online. So I can't figure out if I need to submit my passport physically for the transit visa.

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I am a student with Indian nationality, currently living in the US.

I am travelling to India in a couple of days and I have a return flight from India to Phoenix, US with a layover in Toronto, Canada. I have learned that I need a transit visa and have applied for one. It says that the average time to process an application is 42 days.

I just want to know the complete procedure that takes place once I submit my application. I scanned all the required documents and have uploaded them while submitting my application.

  1. Do I need to submit my passport to the nearest Canadian consulate?

  2. Does the transit visa come by post or is it available in electronic format?

  3. What happens if I don't have my transit visa by the time I fly and get to Canada?

Any help and clarification will be most appreciated.

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  • 3
    Possible duplicate of Canada's Transit Visa - Do I need to send off my passport?
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Nov 9, 2015 at 6:14
  • I have edited my question to be more specific.
    – Aditya
    Commented Nov 9, 2015 at 6:25
  • Which parts of the linked question don't address your concerns ? Seems to me it does answer your question
    – blackbird
    Commented Nov 9, 2015 at 11:45
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    If you don't have a transit visa by the time you make the flight, then the airline will not let you on the plane.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Nov 9, 2015 at 14:37
  • The part about no fee is correct -- Canadian transit visas are free
    – user102008
    Commented Nov 12, 2015 at 5:29

1 Answer 1

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The official instructions can be confusing, since they attempt to cover every possible situation, and much of what's written doesn't apply to you (or to anybody!). It would be less confusing if they wrote separate instructions for each different type of visa someone might apply for, but they didn't do that. They just threw everything together.

This is what you really need to do:

After you've submitted your application online, you need to print the page showing a barcode. You will include this page in the document package you send to the Visa Application Centre serving the area in which you live.

Your document package includes a copy of the Document Checklist, a printout of the page containing the barcode shown to you when you completed your application online, the necessary documents listed on the Document Checklist (not all of these will apply to you, but you should include anything you have which is listed, such as a copy of your I-94 and I-20), two passport photos, and of course your passport.

Mail or hand deliver the document package to the VAC using their official instructions. You should not need to pay anything, as transit visas are free and you will not need to give biometrics.

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    See that's confusing again. I submitted all of the documents online. So I need to send them by regular post too? That's what I don't get. Also since I'm travelling by Dec 8th, I'm unsure my visa will be approved by the time I leave as I need my passport to travel. This is a real fix and I don't know where I can call to get this clearly clarified.
    – Aditya
    Commented Nov 13, 2015 at 7:45
  • Also the document checklist makes no mention of a transit visa. It only has info for a temp resident visa.
    – Aditya
    Commented Nov 13, 2015 at 8:01
  • OK I might have gotten a little bit of clarity. So I read somewhere that after processing my application, I'll get a mail telling me to submit my documents again to the VAC. Now I'll be in India by the time I get this mail, so I'd like to know if I can submit my documents to a VAC in India. Or must I submit it to the US one because I started my application process in the US.
    – Aditya
    Commented Nov 13, 2015 at 15:55
  • Did you have to submit the passport physically or was it electronic? Would like to know.
    – Kingkong Jnr
    Commented Jul 29, 2016 at 20:52
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    I had to submit it for a visa stamp. Thankfully, there was a Canadian consulate in India too, so I got it stamped there, instead of getting it done in the US. Took about a week's time for them to get it done.
    – Aditya
    Commented Feb 17, 2017 at 5:36

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