How to apply for Canadian visa for Malaysians - 2024 travel guide

Canada is a dream destination for many tourists, as well as a popular place to live and work as an expat. If you’re considering a visit - or a longer term stay - you may have questions about how to get a Canadian visa for Malaysian passport holders.

This guide covers all you need to know about Canada visas for Malaysians, including visa types and options, important questions like can Malaysians apply for a Canada visa online, and how much you’ll need to pay. Plus, to help you save money while you’re in Canada we’ll also touch on the Wise card which lets you add money in MYR and pay conveniently in CAD with the mid-market rate and low, transparent fees¹.

Table of contents:

• Do Malaysians need a visa to Canada?
• Canada visa requirements for Malaysian citizens
• How to apply for a Canada visa from Malaysia
• Visa processing time
• Canada visa price in Malaysia
• Save money on MYR to CAD rates with the Wise card

Do Malaysians need a visa to Canada?

So is there a Canada tourist visa for Malaysian passport holders? The short answer is yes - in most cases, Malaysian citizens will need a visa for a trip to Canada, as a tourist, to study or to work.

As with most things concerning immigration, the exact visa requirements will depend on your trip purpose, duration, and your personal situation. There’s a handy Canada visa checker tool² you can use to see if you’ll need a visa for your visit. To give an example, if you’re a Malaysian passport holder, not a dial citizen of Canada, not a US Green card holder, and you want to visit for tourist purposes, our research showed you need a visitor visa which entitles you to go to Canada for up to 6 months.

Canada visa requirements for Malaysian citizens

The visa you need will depend on what you plan to do in Canada. If you’re heading to Canada for work you’ll need different paperwork compared to a tourism visit for example. We’ll briefly touch on the Canada work permit/visas for Malaysians later - but you can also find all the information needed for different visa types on the Canadian government website.

As an example let’s walk through the requirements and documents needed to apply for a visitor visa³, which is also sometimes referred to as a temporary residence visa. This is the visa you’d need to go to Canada as a tourist, or if you’ve already had a work permit approved and you’re heading there to settle on a temporary basis.

The only absolutely necessary document in most situations is your valid passport. At the point of applying you’ll normally just need to upload a copy of the personal details page, but you may then need to hand over your passport to have the visa attached once it’s approved.

While you may only need a passport, there are a few documents you may choose to also include in your application to prove you meet the other requirements to be issued a visa. If you’re applying as a tourist, these can include⁴:

• Your travel history - which shows you’ve previously been issued visas
• Your itinerary in Canada - which shows you’ve made arrangements and plan to leave at the end of your stay
• A bank account statement - to show you have enough money to pay for your trip

Canada working holiday visa

Unfortunately, at the time of writing Malaysian passport holders are not eligible to apply for a working holiday visa in Canada.

Working in Canada as a Malaysian

If you plan on working in Canada, it’s good to know that in many cases what you’ll actually need is a work permit⁵ rather than a visa. If your work permit is approved then you’ll automatically be granted a visitor visa which allows you to enter the country.

Work permits are only available under specific circumstances, and usually only if you have an eligible job already lined up. Once you have a job offer in hand your employer can help guide you through the immigration processes. Check out all the details before you make any plans, so there are no surprises.

How to apply for a Canada visa from Malaysia

You’ll start your application for a Canada visa online in most cases. Once again, to give an example, let’s look at how to apply for a Canada visitor visa from Malaysia⁶:

1. Check you meet the criteria and gather all the documents you want to submit to support your application
2. Create an account online and upload your documents
3. Pay your visa application fees
4. Make an appointment to submit your biometric information, which is done in Kuala Lumpur through VFS GLobal⁷
5. Give your fingerprint and photo, and your application will be submitted for processing
6. If your application is approved you’ll need to hand over your passport to have the visa attached before you can travel

If you need to give biometric information as part of your visa application you’ll usually do so at the VFS centre in Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur⁸:

VFS (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
Suite 19.06 19 Floor,
Wisma MCA,
163 Jalan Ampang,
50450

Canada visa processing time

Processing times for a Canada visa can be fairly long, so be prepared well in advance. While the time it takes does vary based on the visa type you need, there’s a handy tool to check the Canada visa processing times⁹ online.

You’ll need to enter the details of the visa you’ve applied for and where you applied, and you’ll get an average processing time. At the time of research, the visa we looked at earlier (a temporary residence visa or visitor visa) would take around 66 days to process, not including any delay caused while getting biometrics done.

Canada visa Malaysia price

Canada visa fees for Malaysian citizens vary quite a lot, and can include a fee you pay to the Canadian government, a biometric fee and a range of fees depending on whether or not you need any further support or service from VFS Global, the designated third party administrator for Canada visas in Malaysia.

Here are some of the fees to consider if you’re applying for a visitor visa for Canada from Malaysia, as an example:

• Canadian government fee - from 100 CAD
• Biometrics fee - 85 CAD per person
• Assisted service (if you need VFS staff to help with your paper application) - 11.05 CAD

Fees also apply for things like couriering your documents, getting a photo if you need one, and having documents printed or scanned at the VFS centre.

**_All fees correct at time of research - 16th July 2024*

Travelling to Canada? Save money on MYR to CAD rates with the Wise card

Your trip to Canada could be the time of your life! Do more with the Wise card.

You can order your Wise card online before you leave Malaysia, and add MYR to spend and withdraw in CAD when you arrive. There’s no need to convert your money to CAD before you travel as the Wise card can automatically convert your funds at the point of payment, with the mid-market rate and low fees from 0.43%¹.

You’ll be able to manage, view and top up your account using nothing but your phone and you’ll get a notification every time you spend so it’s easy to see what currency conversion has cost you.

Your Wise card is linked to a smart digital Wise account which supports 40+ currencies for holding and exchange, and lets you send payments to 160+ countries. You can also get local bank details for 19 currencies - including Canadian Dollar account details. So if you need to receive a payment from someone while abroad, people can just send you a local transfer. Easy.

Use this guide to get started with your Canada visa application, and don’t forget to pop the Wise card in your pocket before you go, to make your money go further when you're away.

Order your Wise card today! ?