Canada visitor visa holder - do I also need a transit visa?

[infraredgirl]

I hold a valid multiple-entry B1 visa for Canada, which I have used in the past for business related travel. I am planning a tourist visit to the United States soon, and would like to transit via a Canadian airport on my way back. Would I need to obtain a separate transit visa for this purpose, or can I use my currently valid B1 visa to transit Canada?

 

[Bryanna]

No, you can transit with your valid B1 visa

 

[infraredgirl]

No, you can transit with your valid B1 visa

Thanks for your reply! Can you provide any sources for this answer? I tried searching online (including detailed search of the CIC webiste) but could not find anything.

I also emailed my local consulate and they replied that I do need a transit visa. The answer they provided was very generic ("yes you need a transit visa unless you are a visa-exempt national") so I wonder if they in fact read my question correctly. It just does not make much sense that I am allowed to visit Canada, but not to transit through it.

 

[Bryanna]

I suggest you email another visa office, preferably one in Asia (which processes higher volumes of TRVs and Transit Visas as compared to a Europe visa office). Do post the source of the answers that the visa office provides to you if the IRCC website does not have this information.

A multiple-entry TRV and a Transit visa are in a way similar to a US B1/B2 or a C1 visa

 

[infraredgirl]

They (the consulate in Vienna) didn't provide any source, they just wrote that I do need a transit visa and provided links to apply. I'll try emailing another visa office, thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Bryanna]

A visa office will not provide any links/source.

You do not need a Transit Visa. But, do let us know if the visa office says anything different

 

[bellaluna]

Yeah, the CIC website does not offer any explicit instructions, but I agree with Bryanna. I was able to transit through the US on my B1/B2 visa, so Canada should operate similarly. A TRV should be able to supersede a transit visa. The language is also implied:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=420&top=16

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/visa/types/three.asp