Submission of an Application
There are two ways to submit an application for a Temporary Resident Visa, Work Permit or Study Permit. You may either submit all the Required Documentation:
- in person at the VAC or
- by DHL
If you plan to visit Canada multiple times in the near future (for example on business or to visit family), you should consider applying for a multiple entry temporary resident visa. You may be granted a visa valid for up to 10 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. If you wish to come to Canada to visit a child or grandchild, you may wish to apply for a Super Visa.
The VAC provides you with one easy way to pay for your visa application at a Scotia Bank. Only applications submitted at the VAC can be paid at a Scotia Bank. Visit your nearest Scotia Bank branch with the following information in hand: application processing fee.
When visitng the VAC or forwarding your application to the VAC by courier, you must attach the Scotia Bank receipt to your application.
All applicants submitting an application through the VAC must pay the corresponding fee for the service, either at the VAC or in Scotiabank.
The fee for the VAC service is: $264 pesos payable at the VAC using a Visa or MasterCard credit card.
If the fee is paid in any Scotia Bank branch, Inverweb or Scotia on line, you must pay $272 pesos ($264 for the service and 3% for the tax - IDE) to the service No. 1388 under CSC Computer Sciences S. de R.L. de C.V. using the reference 138848151623425.
This fee is required for each person submitting an application at the VAC, regardless of age or purpose of travel.
Photocopy and photograph services are available at the VAC. For more information you can visit Applicable Fees. (Note: Only Mexico City provides the service of photographs)
ADDITIONAL SERVICES FOR THE TEMPORARY RESIDENT VISA
You can use the computers at the VAC to complete the application online (self-service) or you can have the VAC staff complete the application on line for you (full-service) by paying an additional fee.
These fees can be paid at the VAC using a Visa or MasterCard credit card or at a Scotiabank. For more information you can visit Applicable Fees.
The VAC addresses are:
Mexico City Visa Application Centre
Sófocles 127
Miguel Hidalgo
C.P. 11540 D.F. México
Monterrey Visa Application Centre
Avenida Hidalgo 400 Poniente (esquina Rayón)
Colonia Centro
C.P. 64000 Monterrey, Nuevo León
Guadalajara Visa Application Centre
Agustín Yáñez #2537
Zona Minerva
C.P. 44130, Guadalajara, Jalisco
Working Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Please ensure that you have printed the VAC Consent Form and the checklist, which can be downloaded by clicking here, for the appropriate type of travel. You must include both forms in your application package. You must also include a minimum of two receipts per person in the package: one receipt per applicant for the VAC fee, and one receipt per applicant for the processing fee. Note: a family receipt for the processing fee is permitted if applicable. The VAC fee must be paid per person.
Return of Documents
You must provide a pre-paid air waybill from DHL. They are available at any DHL location nationwide and at the VAC.
In addition to the average processing time of you application, please consider 3 – 5 business days for the package to be delivered. You can check the status by logging in to the Application Tracker.
Application Processing Times
Applications should be submitted in advance, preferably at least 30 days before your intended departure date. Current average processing time is approximately:
Temporary Resident Visa: 7 working days
Study Permits: 30 working days
Work Permits: 30-40 working days
After submitting your application you can check the status by logging in to the Application Tracker.
NOTE: If you are applying for a Temporary Resident Visa, which is processed within 7 working days in most of the cases, but the immigration officer requires additional documents, medical exams or an interview, the processing time may be longer. Additional information regarding processing times may be found on the Embassy’s website.
Note: Citizens and residents of certain countries require additional verifications which usually take three weeks or more than the normal processing period. The Embassy of Canada in Mexico will advise if further requirements apply.
Requests for emergency visa application processing: Add this Emergency Processing Request Form to the top of your application package and state the reason(s) for the need to travel urgently.
Emergency processing will only be considered when an unexpected event occurs where the travelling date could not be planned in advance, such as illness or death of a family member. Attach any documents that support your travel emergency. While all will be done to process the application as soon as possible, there is no guarantee that the visa will be issued in time. Note that requesting a visa without enough time previous to a travel date is not considered an extraordinary circumstance.
Please present or send all emergency processing applications to the VAC: www.cicmex.com.mx
Applicable Fees
Note: The fees are non-refundable and they correspond to the processing of the application only. They do not guarantee the issuance of a visa or permit.
VAC Fee
All applicants submitting an application through the VAC must pay the corresponding fee for the service, either at the VAC or in Scotiabank.
The fee for the VAC service is: $264 pesos payable at the VAC using a Visa or MasterCard credit card.
If the fee is paid in any Scotia Bank branch, Inverweb or Scotia on line, you must pay $272 pesos ($264 for the service and 3% for the tax - IDE) to the service No. 1388 under CSC Computer Sciences S. de R.L. de C.V. using the reference 138848151623425.
This fee is required for each person submitting an application at the VAC, regardless of age or purpose of travel.
Additional Service Fees
The payment of additional services from the VAC can be paid at the VAC with Visa or Master Card or in Scotiabank by paying the corresponding amount to the service No. 1388 under CSC Computer Sciences S. de R.L. de C.V. using the reference 138848151623425.
| Photographs* | $100.00 pesos – 4 photos * |
| Photocopies | $2.00 pesos per photocopy |
| IMM5257, IMM1294, IMM1295 Forms fill-out (Self-service) | $45.00 pesos per hour |
| IMM5257, IMM1294, IMM1295 Forms fill-out (Full-service) | $150.00 pesos per application |
| * Available only in Mexico City | |
Application Processing Fee
Additionally, all applicants submitting an application through the VAC must include a receipt for the visa application processing fee. The fee is payable at any Scotia Bank branch, Inverweb or Scotia on line in Mexican pesos, using the affiliation number 3516 and one the following references:
| Fee Type | Amount | Scotia Bank Reference Number |
| Single Entry (per person) | $965.00 | 351621903099994208 |
| Multiple Entry (per person) | $1,930.00 | 351621904899999297 |
| Family Rate (see note below) | $5,140.00 | 351621905599996236 |
| Work Permit (per person) | $1,930.00 | 351621906399999266 |
| Work Permit (Groups) | $5,785.00 | 351621907199997231 |
| Study Permit | $1,605.00 | 351621908999994216 |
| Transit Visa (no charge) | $0 | n/a |
*You must present your passport to do the payment.
Please note that the application processing fee is non-refundable and it corresponds to the processing of the application only. It does not guarantee the issuance of a visa or permit. Only applications submitted at the VAC can be paid at a Scotia Bank.
Multiple Entry per person
Please note that the decision to issue a Multiple Entry visa is at the discretion of the visa officer. Although in most cases multiple entry visas are issued when someone applies for this type of visa it may happen that, in view of the particular circumstances of the applicant, the visa officer will only authorize a single-entry visa. Therefore, paying the Multiple Entry fee does not guarantee the issuance of a Multiple Entry visa. Also note that the Embassy cannot issue a visa beyond the validity of your passport. The Multiple Entry visa can be issued for a maximum of 10 years.
Family Rate:
A family is only required to pay up to the maximum Family Rate amount. If the sum of the individual fees for your family is less than the Family Rate, you may pay the fee individually. If the sum of the individual fees for your family is more, you are only required to pay up to the Family Rate. For purposes of calculating the Family Rate, family members only include parents and their children under 22 years of age when applying at the same time for the same visa type. Any other kind of relative is excluded.
Note: The rate can be used for multiple or single entry visas.
Work Permit Group Rate – Performing artists
The Work Permit Group Rate may be applied for groups of performing artists (3 or more), such as ballets, orchestras, theatre groups, only when all members apply at the same time.
Groups of performing who will request a work permit, please contact the VAC with enough time to obtain the information needed to submit applications as a group. The VAC will indicate what documents must be presented before scheduling an appointment to receive the groups’ applications. The processing time for work permit applications is a minimum of 20 working days once the VAC has sent the applications to the Embassy. For this reason, you must contact the VAC with a minimum of 30 working days before your travel date. This will help have the result of the application ready before the trip.
Work Permit and Study Permit
When the principal applicant requests a study permit or a work permit he/she only needs to pay for the fees of the Study or the Work Permit.
Returning Students and Workers with Valid Permits
If you currently have a valid Work or Study Permit, and you wish to return to Canada to resume your work or studies, and you need a visa to re-enter Canada, then you must apply and pay the processing fee for a Temporary Resident Visa application.
Please print this page and have it available for presentation at Scotiabank when you make the fee payments.
