Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced that they issued a record number of visitor visas last year.
The announcement of almost one million visas being approved was made jointly by Minister Jason Kenney and Minister Maxime Bernier in a press conference on Wednesday.
Visitor visas are temporary immigration documents that allow foreign citizens into Canada for the purpose of tourism, business trips or casual visits to friends or relatives. They are not, however, valid immigration visas and do not allow applicants to stay in Canada indefinitely. 
Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, is highly supportive of visitor’s visas in the role of strengthening the Canadian economy and the beneficial side effects of having so many people travel through Canada.
Minister Kenney is a strong proponent of the enforcement of legal visas and immigration and the fact that so many were approved this year further reinforce the success of this agenda.
“The number of visas issued in 2012 represents an increase of almost 40% since 2004. This steady increase over the last few years reaffirms the fact that Canada continues to be a destination of choice for visitors,” a press release from the CIC said today.
Maxime Bernier, the Minister of State, said that it was the ease and efficiency with which visitors can get visitor visas that helps so much with improving the economy.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada has made getting multiple re-entry visitor visas cheaper and easier to get in an effort to promote tourism to Canada since 2010.
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