Canada Visa Category Codes on Your Passport Counterfoil
There are many elements on your visa counterfoil. Most of them are easy to understand. However, the category codes on Canadian visa counterfoils could be confusing.
What is counterfoil on passport?
It is in the form of a sticker (counterfoil) placed on a page in your passport. It is sometimes referred to as an entry visa or a visitor visa. The document gives you the ability to travel to a Canadian port of entry and to be examined for entry to Canada.
How to get counterfoil visa Canada?
When your application is approved, IRCC will send you a decision letter with instructions on how to get your visa. Normally, you need to submit your passport to get a physical visitor visa, sometimes referred to as a counterfoil, affixed within to allow you to travel to Canada.
Can Canada visa be rejected after approval?
If the visa officer doubts your letter of acceptance is genuine or that you truly met all program requirements, they may refuse your application. To avoid an issue like this in your reapplication, review the documentation and make sure all documents are clear and easy to understand.
When do I receive a visa counterfoil?
Unless you are from a visa-exempt country, you could receive a counterfoil for any of the following reasons:
- Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), such as a visa for tourism, working without a permit or as a business visitor
- Studying in Canada: You need a study permit to remain in Canada and study. However, a visa counterfoil is necessary for travelling to Canada.
- Work permit in Canada: Unless exempt from a work permit, you need a work permit to work in Canada. Nonetheless, to travel, you need a visa counterfoil.
- Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) for people who are inadmissible to Canada
- PR Travel Document: If you have lost your PR card or hold an expired one, you need a PR Travel Document to go back to Canada. Consequently, the officer affixes a visa counterfoil to your passport upon approval. Of course, the counterfoil is nothing but the PR Travel Document.
- Permanent Resident Visa: This single-entry visa allows you to travel to Canada to become a permanent resident. Of course, you also need to hold a COPR.
- Sometimes you lose your permanent resident status because of the decision of an officer. However, you decide to appeal the decision. Consequently, IRCC may allow you to travel to Canada to attend your hearing. They mostly do this if you have been in Canada in the past 365 days. Thus, the officer issues a single-entry visa counterfoil to facilitate your travel.
- For most diplomatic and similar missions, you need a visa counterfoil.
There could be other circumstances where you need a visa counterfoil. However, if you do not hold a valid passport, the officer may issue you a Single Journey Travel Document.
The following table shows the existing category codes and their meaning.
| Category Code | Description |
| B-1 | Business Visitor |
| C-1 | Courtesy |
| D-1 | Diplomat |
| F-1 | Facilitation Visa |
| IM-1 | Immigrant (single-entry visa for PR) |
| 0-1 | Official |
| PA-1 | Permit Holder |
| PAX-1 | National Interest TRP |
| PC-1 | Permit Holder with Valid TRP |
| PG-1 | Parents or Grandparents Super Visa |
| R-1 | Passed-Residency Obligation |
| RA-1 | Presence at Appeal |
| RC-1 | Passed H&C – PR Travel Document |
| RX-1 | Attending a PR hearing while you were present in Canada in the past 365 days. |
| S-1 | A student with Study Permit |
| SW-1 | An international student with Study & Work Permit |
| SX-1 | A student exempt from the requirement to obtain a Study Permit |
| V-1 | Visitor |
| VH-1 | Visitor in Transit for not more than 48 hours |
| W-1 | A worker with Work Permit |
| WX-1 | A worker exempt from the requirement to obtain a Work Permit |
What is a port of entry (POE) letter?
It’s a letter you may receive from IRCC if you’ve been approved for a
- study permit
- work permit or
- super visa (if you’re from a country that doesn’t require a visitor visa)
Officially, it’s called the port of entry (POE) letter of introduction. But this letter is sometimes called the
- correspondence letter
- introduction letter
- introductory letter
The letter of introduction is not your study or work permit.
You’ll get this letter if you were approved and you
- applied online or
- gave us your email address in your study or work permit application
When you arrive in Canada
Tell the officer at the port of entry about your approved application.
If you don’t have a printed copy of your letter of introduction, you can show
- an electronic version or
- the visitor visa in your passport, if you have one
