travelling to canada on a b2 visa

[sbhrany]

Is it possible that while I am on a b2 visa in USA can visit my family for few days in Canada without getting a tourist visa for Canada from my home country india.

[peace999]

you will need a visitor visa for canada which will be hard to get from Canadian embassy in US. They will ask you why you did not apply
from India.

So, it is better you apply for a canadian visit visa from India before leaving for US.

[vizach]

Moreover, the Canadian embassies in the US are pretty useless in issuing a visitor's visa (takes them two months vs one week in India).

[rayb]

One notable exception is if on a B2 visa and travelling on a cruise ship. The routine daily excursions abroad for most foreign nationals (Chinese, Filipino, Russian, as examples) do not require Canadian visas. I've been on cruises on both eastern and western Canadian coasts with lots of foreign nationals on board who had only U.S. visitor visas. When docking at Vancouver, there were no problems for non-U.S. citizens, but when travelling on a bus tour in lower Alaska and crossing a Canadian immigration checkpoint, the officer looked very closely at Chinese passports.

--Ray B

Moreover, the Canadian embassies in the US are pretty useless in issuing a visitor's visa (takes them two months vs one week in India).

[rayb]

I just do some Canadian immigration website checking, and there appears to be a distinction between Indian nationals and Chinese nationals entering Canada.

The following link ( http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/v...?country=India ) has a dropdown box by country of origin and specific origin country visa requirements to enter Canada. The description for Chinese visitors allows them to enter Canada if they have U.S. visitor visas (B2). But Indian nationals are described as needing Canadian visitor visas to enter Canada.

I apologize for suggesting that Indian nationals can enter Canada from Cruise ships without Canadian visitor visas (though that may still be the case).

For a while a few years back, mainland Chinese visitors to the U.S. were able to get approval for a full year entry on visitor visas, while 3 or 6 months is the normal allowable stay granted at the Port of Entry (though a single extension for the same period is usually approved).

-Ray B

One notable exception is if on a B2 visa and travelling on a cruise ship. The routine daily excursions abroad for most foreign nationals (Chinese, Filipino, Russian, as examples) do not require Canadian visas. I've been on cruises on both eastern and western Canadian coasts with lots of foreign nationals on board who had only U.S. visitor visas. When docking at Vancouver, there were no problems for non-U.S. citizens, but when travelling on a bus tour in lower Alaska and crossing a Canadian immigration checkpoint, the officer looked very closely at Chinese passports.

--Ray B