Canadian temporary resident visas are filed online through IRCC and assessed against the dual intent framework - the officer must be satisfied you will leave at the end of your authorised stay. Processing times from Nairobi are published by IRCC and move constantly, sometimes by weeks in either direction. Passport submission for stamping comes after approval, which catches out travellers who did not budget the extra days.
Where to find us
Neehari Global Limited
One Africa Place, Waiyaki Way, Westlands
Nairobi, 00100
Kenya
Our map is at the bottom of every page.
Who this service is for
We handle canada visa application for a wide range of travellers, and the right approach differs considerably between them. A salaried employee with a five-year employment history and a self-employed trader with no payslips need entirely different files, even for the same destination on the same dates. If you recognise yourself below, we have done this many times before.
- Visitors travelling for tourism or to see family in Canada
- Business visitors attending meetings or conferences
- Parents and grandparents applying for a super visa
- Students awaiting a study permit decision
- Applicants who have previously been refused and need a stronger file
How long it takes
IRCC publishes live processing times by country and category, and they vary widely. Add time for biometrics after submission and for passport submission and stamping after approval - the passport request typically allows 30 days to comply.
Those are the mission's own processing standards, and they are only half the picture. In Nairobi the binding constraint is usually appointment availability rather than processing: slots at the visa application centres are released in batches, taken within minutes, and at their tightest around the December and August peaks. Build your plan around the date you can actually be seen, not around the published turnaround. We will tell you what is realistically available before you commit to a flight.
How we handle your application
- Free consultation. We establish the correct visa category, the right mission and a realistic date. Getting this wrong at the start costs more than anything else.
- Tailored checklist. You get a document list built for your circumstances, not a generic printout.
- Document review. We check every item for consistency before anything is submitted. See our visa document review service.
- Form completion. We complete the application and send it to you to verify line by line before submission.
- Appointment. We secure the earliest workable slot at the relevant centre - see appointment booking.
- Tracking. We monitor the file and respond to any request for further documents during processing.
- Decision and collection. We tell you what the decision means and what happens next, including passport collection.
What the mission is actually deciding
Two features of the Canadian process catch Kenyan applicants out repeatedly. The first is that IRCC's published processing times move constantly and by large margins - a figure that was accurate when a friend applied last year tells you nothing about today, and planning a trip around a remembered timeline is how people end up with tickets they cannot use. The second is the passport request. Approval is not the end of the process; IRCC then asks for your passport so the visa can be affixed, and you typically have thirty days to comply. Applicants who have sent their passport to another mission in the meantime, or who are travelling elsewhere, can lose the window entirely. Plan the whole sequence, including the stamping period, before you commit to any date.
After the decision
Once the visa is affixed, entry remains at the discretion of the officer at the port of entry, who decides the length of stay granted. Carry your supporting documents in your hand luggage rather than checked baggage - being asked for them on arrival and not having them is an avoidable problem.
Why applying from Nairobi is different
Most of the guidance you will find online about canada visa was written for applicants in Europe or North America, and it quietly assumes things that are not true here. It assumes appointment slots are available within days. It assumes a salaried applicant with a payslip. It assumes a long personal travel history already sitting in the passport. For a great many Kenyan applicants none of those hold, and a file built on that advice will be missing exactly the evidence a consular officer covering this region is looking for.
What actually works from Nairobi is documenting the things that are true about your life rather than mimicking a template: a business rather than an employer, family and property here rather than a long stamp collection, regional travel history rather than European. We build files around that, and we do it for clients across the city - from Parklands to Karen and Kileleshwa.
Is this the right category for your trip?
Canada assesses visitor and study applications under different frameworks. If you hold a letter of acceptance from a Canadian institution, apply for a study permit rather than a visitor visa - entering as a visitor to study is a serious compliance problem.
What you pay, and what it covers
There are two separate costs in any visa application and it is worth keeping them apart. The first is the mission's own visa fee, plus any visa centre service charge and optional priority fee. That money goes to them, is set by them, changes periodically, and is not refundable if the application is refused. The second is our consultancy fee, which covers the consultation, the tailored checklist, document review, form completion, appointment booking and tracking of the file through to decision.
We quote both in writing before you commit to anything, and the initial consultation is free. We do not take a percentage of anything, we do not mark up the mission's fees, and we do not charge a success fee - a fee structure that rewards us for a decision we do not control would not be honest. If your case is one where you genuinely do not need us, we will say so.
Canada Visa clients across Nairobi
We handle canada visa applications for clients right across the city. A large share of this work comes from Parklands, where medical travel to india is a significant share of what we do for parklands clients - patient and attendant applications filed together, hospital letters, tight timelines. We also see steady demand from clients in Karen, and from Kileleshwa and the surrounding neighbourhoods. Wherever you are in Nairobi, most of the process runs over email and WhatsApp - you only need to attend the visa centre in person for biometrics.
We also serve these areas
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Canadian visitor visa take from Kenya?
It varies substantially and IRCC updates its published estimate regularly. We check the current figure for your category when we start rather than quoting a number that may be out of date.
What is a super visa?
A long-validity visa for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, allowing extended stays per entry. It has its own requirements including qualifying medical insurance and a minimum income threshold for the child or grandchild.
Do I need to give biometrics?
In most cases yes, and they are valid for a period across subsequent applications. You will receive an instruction letter after you submit.
What happens after my visa is approved?
IRCC issues a passport request. You submit your passport for the visa to be affixed, generally within 30 days of the request.
Can I apply if I was refused before?
Yes. A previous refusal is not a bar, but a fresh application must address what went wrong. We start by reading the refusal notes.
How long are biometrics valid?
Biometrics given for a Canadian application remain valid for a defined period and can be reused across subsequent applications within it. If yours are still valid you will not be asked again.
Does a US visa help my Canadian application?
It is not a substitute, but a history of compliant travel to the US is meaningful evidence of the behaviour IRCC is assessing. Include it.
What is administrative processing and why has my file stalled?
Files can be referred for additional verification, which pauses the visible progress without any action being required from you. It is frustrating and it is usually not a signal of refusal.
Related services
What we commit to
Local SEO copy is cheap and promises are cheaper, so here is what we will actually hold ourselves to. We quote our fee and the mission's separate fees in writing before you pay anything, and the first consultation costs nothing. We do not guarantee approvals, because the decision belongs to a consular officer and no consultant controls it - anyone in Nairobi telling you otherwise is either selling something or planning to blame the embassy later.
We will not produce documents on your behalf, invent employment, or supply an insurance certificate that does not correspond to a real policy. Those are the fastest routes to a deception finding and a multi-year ban, and they end careers as well as trips. If we think your case is straightforward enough to file yourself, we will say so and charge you for the review rather than the full service. And if we think a deadline genuinely cannot be met, you will hear that on the first call rather than the week before you fly.
Ready to start your canada visa?
Free initial consultation. We reply on WhatsApp within a few hours on business days.
Get in touch. Start early. It costs nothing to ask. The first consultation is free. Speak to a consultant today. Documents matter more than promises. Our office is in Westlands, Nairobi. Most of the process happens remotely. Bring your passport and recent bank statements. Ask us before you buy a ticket. We quote all fees in writing beforehand. You attend in person only for biometrics. No approval is ever guaranteed, by us or anyone else. Every application is handled by a named consultant. We will tell you honestly what is achievable. We reply on WhatsApp within a few hours on business days.