Hi I have been thinking about staying/visiting in Toronto?

[star in the sky]

I wanted to know and if I get pass this hurdle then I'll ask other questions about Toronto or Ontario greater area than Toronto.
So my question: Can I enter Canada its a bit confusing as non readable machine passports are going out in Nov 2015 but want to know can I still use one for entering and leaving Canada when Visiting Staying there for a person from Australia/ NewZealand etc (Australaisia) ? I think they say you cant but im not sure if that's for entering U.S as a non U.S citizen / non Canadian citizen. So would I from my visa exempt country need a Visa if my passport is a non machine readable one? as it is either not meeting the requirements so a visa would be needed to meet the requirements ? Yeh I was confused. And what is a valid passport ? Is a valid passport one that is not expired with at least six months spare? What is exactly meant by valid?

 

[star in the sky]

Ok im good now ive figured out A.B.C kiosks and border control. Now.. Winter - toronto ahem... -20 to-25 is that in degrees or farenheit? Well... -25 is JOLLY cold for this kiwi/ Newzealander will I get use to the cold after one month or will I need to stay for two to somewhat climatise ? Do you have any suggestions for the where to buy the warmest gear interms of good quaility warm clothes in downtown toronto/ toronto or would Kathmandu be good enough for me in New Zealand before I leave? I honestly dont know where youd like get for example warm enough socks and gloves for that temperature . Can you still get the metro toronto visitors map guide?

 

[cerette]

I can't answer any Toronto related questions, but as far as the passports and visa, you should check Canada Border Agency website.

 

[star in the sky]

Thanks , thanks for answering.

 

[star in the sky]

Would anyone like to hear my imitation of the Canadian /American accent just for fun? I know this is in the Canadian forum but before I recorded this my aim was to practice a Canadian accent but it to me sounds more like a U.S accent. Lemme know- its not bad . who knows in may come in handy in Canada.

 

[star in the sky]

Does anyone know in the Toronto area of churches who have home stay, student exchange or welcome young adult tourists to stay in their homes. Would it be possible for a Canadian family to be happy to let one or two English speaking tourists stay in their homes for one or two months pos three? They would definitely pay board and pay for their own costs such as food and transport. Like whats the situation in Toronto churches for this? Does your church (people from Toronto) do this?

 

[star in the sky]

I can't answer any Toronto related questions, but as far as the passports and visa, you should check Canada Border Agency website.

Hi to Cerette and anyone,
Got some questions about the length of time allowed to visit Canada I checked the CIC and also CBA websites something that was mentioned could be problematic for me and possible other friends with me and that is the Canada Customs can grant (in the case of the country I'm from) up to six months or less that's what Im not sure about if I book accommodation for six months and they only give me 5 months what do I do then, use travel insurance and phone the accomadation cancelling one months booking? And if its granted for six months am I allowed to leave early say 5 months stay.
I also read you have to give details of your activities, somewhere you have to give typical tourist expenses what is classed as "typical"? The only things I can think of is buying from the drug store and public transport which I will use. - Excuse my ignorance I've never travelled on a laugh haul flight or for a long stay .
Thanx

 

[cerette]

If you get a visa granted for 6 months, you are most probably allowed to leaver earlier. The point would be that you are NOT allowed to stay longer. After 6 months you would have to leave the country and then re-enter, and hopefully be given a new visa.

Generally speaking I would personally not recommend booking housing for such a long period, what if you end up hating that place?? Start out by booking for a shorter stay and then you can either ask to extend or find another place.

I don't know what exactly travel expenses means and who would be asking for that info, but what comes to mind is: health and accident insurance, accomodation, transit, food, outings such as different tourist attractions..etc.

Sorry I can't answer your questions better but perhaps you could go to a local travel agency and speak to someone there, or find an online forum for travel related topics?

Good luck and keep safe.

 

[ex-pat]

You may want to contact your consulate/ embassy in Canada. They always have advice specific to travellers from your country. You sound like you're very young...perhaps also looking at youth hostels would be of benefit when determining where to stay. As far as cold is concerned, Toronto is not as cold as other parts of Canada, for certain. However, no need to go all bundled up...just use some common sense. (it's degrees C, btw). DEFINITELY have some waterproof boots if you'll be there in the winter...cold wet snow seeping into cute fashion footwear gets old after about 30 seconds. Any decent pair of waterproof winter boots says what it's rated for, and if it is colder than that, then use hand/toe warmers. f you've got a decent quality winter coat, you should be fine. Invest in a hat...any dollar store carries decent enough hats...that will cover your ears. Have a scarf, and gloves with thinsulate. You'll be fine. Toronto's metro is very good, and has a lot of underground entrances to shopping areas.

 

[ValleyGal]

I think purpose of the visit matters. For example, my husband came here originally on an extended (6 month) visitor's visa before we applied for spousal sponsorship and then permanent residency. He did not need any proof of plans and travel because his intent was to come here for the purpose of marrying.

If your intent is to be a tourist, you may need to hang onto your proofs - accommodation, food, transportation receipts, receipts from tourist attractions, etc (these are typical tourist receipts, as Cerette already stated). Also make sure you have your receipt for your travel back home. That's an important piece. They need to know you are not coming here under a visitor visa pretense and then try to stay here permanently.

They want to know that you actually are doing what you said you were coming for. If you state you are coming for tourism, and end up not investing into our tourist attractions, you will likely be questioned at customs when leaving the country. Customs, border services and immigration all appreciate honesty, so just make sure you do what you say you're here to do. If you are coming as a tourist, they are going to want to know how you plan to support yourself while you're here, etc.

Toronto is usually really humid, so the cold feels really, really cold and the heat is a stuffy, wet heat. If you're there for 6 months, you may experience both. There are great second hand shops to purchase good used coats if you need one, so I would not worry too much about finding appropriate clothes. You'll make a few friend there, too, who will likely love to take you shopping.

There are a lot of wonderful tourist attractions in that area. I hope you will have a chance to see many of them, like Niagara Falls, Niagara on the Lake, Canada's Wonderland, the CN Tower...be careful of Young Street Strip and don't go there alone. In fact, don't go there if you can help it.

I'm afraid I don't know of any churches who have exchange type situations or housing. I personally know of two people who do this kind of thing - one in Washington and one near where I live who attends my church. Of course, I'm on the other side of the country from Toronto. If you are not shy to do this, you might consider talking with your own pastor and seeing if he knows of any churches that offer something like that. Or maybe you could find someone through your denomination. Another thought, if you want to go there, is to consider a program like YWAM - a discipleship training program followed by a short-term mission. Your accommodation would be taken care of, and although you would be obligated to participate in their program, they may offer enough free time to do some touring while you're there. The best part? You can share the Gospel! If you do this, I'm not sure what kind of visa you'd need, but I know someone whose son is doing that in the US, so she would know and I could easily find out.

 

[Voyageuse]

So many questions! First, wonderful that you're considering doing an exchange. I hope you get all the Visa questions sorted out. I wouldn't want to even try to advise on that.

I don't know of any *Christian* homestay organizations but do know of people who have hosted students through: canadahomestayinternational [you'll have to put the (dot) c o m at the end. I don't have enough posts to post hyperlinks.]

Probably less well screened (well, not screened at all) is kijiji:
Toronto dot kijiji (dot) ca and then search under homestay

You could also try here:
torontohomestaysearch (dot) com slash hosts (dot) php

As Valleygirl wrote, you could try asking your minister to see if anyone in their network can help you find a starting point.


No longer in Toronto now but it is a lovely city. Well, not this winter, because it's ridiculously cold and icy, but NORMALLY it's a lovely city.

For winter gear, I'd come with some things but you should be able to buy here. Check out mec (dot) ca This is slightly high end gear but very warm. It will let you know if it's worth buying at home before you come. I usually shop landsend landsend (dot) com or sears sears (dot) ca, much less expensive, but you do need something for your first couple of days. (If you prearrange a homestay, you could have landsend or sears ship there.


We have "dollar stores" - you can get low end hats and mitts until you find what you like. If you're not averse to second hand, there are low and high end second hand stores.

 

[star in the sky]

thanks everyone not really sure if I want to go the hassles with preparing - visas or whether to have the difficulty of looking for a job on a working holiday visa. Not sure. A few hassles. I do appreciate the feedback though.