Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for a temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. Visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons who want to enter the United States temporarily for business (visa category B-1), for tourism (visa category B-2), or for a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2).
Canada welcomes more than 35 million temporary residents each year. Unless they are Canadian citizens or Canadian Permanent Residents, individuals coming to Canada for the purpose of visiting, studying or working may need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to enter Canada.