Does a Visitor Record Expire When You Leave Canada? What Families Need to Know

It is important to understand that a visitor record (VR) is not a visa/travel document and does not in itself authorize a foreigner to enter Canada. 

Let’s analyze the example of a family with parents holding a work permit and their minor child a visitor record, planning to travel outside Canada for one week. 

They must all hold an Electronic travel authorization (ETA) or valid temporary resident visa (TRV) before travelling back to Canada. The border agent will also need to see their valid permits upon entry. Unlike work permits that do not expire upon travelling outside Canada, a visitor record is automatically cancelled upon leaving the country.

Concretely, this means for our family that the child’s temporary resident status as a visitor (as demonstrated by a valid visitor record) is ‘cancelled’ upon the his or her physical departure from Canada, even if the child’s parents have valid Canadian work permits, and even if the child’s existing visitor record had not expired before the date of departure.

Thus, what happens when the child wishes to return to Canada with the parents? It remains at the discretion of the border agent to decide whether the child can enter Canada. And while most travellers in this situation do not have any issue at the border, there is an important detail that the parents do not know. If a new visitor record is not issued upon re-entry and if there is no stamp with a date of leave in the passport, the new authroized stay fo the child is for 6 month from the last date of entry. 

In other words, the Visitor Record is cancelled upon leaving Canada and no longer serves to ensure a valid status.

It is important for parents to request a NEW visitor record for their child upon the following entry to Canada, if they are planning to stay in Canada for a longer period. When discussing with the Border Services Officer, it is imperative to request that the expiry date of the child’s new visitor record correspond to the expiry date of the temporary visa belonging to the parent who was the main applicant on the study or work permit application. 

It is important for parents to verify their children’s temporary status expiry date in order to ensure that they are always on a valid status. 

Furthermore, parents should always apply to extend these records from inside Canada if they know that the children will not be physically leaving Canada before the expiry date of their status.