Travel & Visas
Visa Information for #ISA2023 Montreal
As many of us have experienced, visa applications can be a source of anxiety when traveling, and ISA wants to help ease that burden as much as possible. To this end, we are committed to releasing the ISA2023 program on September 15 to allow people enough time to submit visa applications.
Applications can take anywhere from 12-23 weeks to obtain. For processing times, click here.
We encourage all attendees to review the Canada visa application to ensure everyone knows about necessary requirements and available resources.
ISA will continue to work with the Canadian government to ensure ISA2023 attendees receive the most up-to-date information on the visa process. We will have more information in our upcoming newsletters and convention communications.
#ISA2023 Letter of Invitation
ISA2023 is registered with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) department, and our “event code” will be in every invitation letter for the convention. You must be on the program to receive a letter of invitation. In addition, any person receiving an ISA travel grant will receive an individualized Letter of Invitation, including your ISA Travel Grant amount, and help with your visa application.
Letters of Invitation will be available for download from your Participation Hub in ISAnet once you have completed convention registration.
Visa Barrier Project
ISA is participating in the Visa Barrier Project, a project run by the University of Ottawa. If you experience any visa-related issues, please contact Jennifer Fontanella at HQ at VisaIssues@isanet.org to have your experience included.
Additional Resources:
Find out if you need a visa to travel to Canada
Travel and identification documents for entering Canada
How to apply for a Visa
Check the status of your Visa application
Find out if you need to apply for an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization)
Find out if you need to give biometrics
What to do if your Visa is refused
Nashville Neighborhoods
A half-mile stretch along 12th Avenue South called the 12South neighborhood with a vintage clothing store on one end, a gourmet restaurant on the other, and many unique Nashville businesses in between. One of the most walkable neighborhoods in Nashville, 12South is a shopping and dining destination full of restaurants, coffee houses, bakeries, bars, and boutiques featuring local designers and makers.
Conveniently located near Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities. Hillsboro Village is a collection of shops, boutiques, and restaurants perfect for a day’s stroll. Adjacent to Hillsboro Village is the Belmont area, which is home to Belmont University, historic homes, shops, and some great eating.
Berry Hill looks like a purely residential neighborhood until you realize funky independent shops, restaurants, recording studios, and music publishers occupy many of the homes. Technically its own city, Berry Hill is treated as a distinct neighborhood of Nashville and is located just south of Downtown beyond Eighth Avenue South.
The sound of Nashville reverberates from the city’s downtown core where honky-tonks play world-class live music 365 days a year, historic buildings have been reimagined into music attractions, boutique hotels, art galleries, and chef-driven restaurants, and newly constructed hotels, eateries, music venues, and attractions pop up all over.
Located across the Cumberland River from downtown Nashville is the stomping ground of Nashville’s creative class, attracted to the area’s culturally diverse and eclectic vibe and historic homes dating back to the early 1900s. In the early aughts, East Nashville helped put Nashville on the map as a culinary destination with beloved restaurants like Margot Cafe & Bar and Marche Artisan Foods, a reputation the neighborhood maintains today. Locals frequent the many dive bars, craft cocktail joints, coffee shops, and vintage stores sprinkled throughout the neighborhood.
Named for the European immigrants who first settled here in the mid-19th century, Germantown is a historic community on the National Register of Historic Places located just a few blocks northwest of downtown Nashville. The area is home to the Tennessee State Museum and Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, local boutiques, and many of Nashville’s most critically acclaimed restaurants making it a culinary destination in its own right.
Just south of downtown lies this once-abandoned industrial area that's undergone an urban revitalization in recent years sparking an intoxicating new energy. The exceedingly walkable LEED-certified community is teeming with boutique hotels, high-rise condos, instagrammable murals, shops, live music venues, breweries, and diverse culinary offerings spanning everything from biscuits and Nashville Hot Chicken to Detroit-style pizza, traditional ramen, and Indian food.
Sandwiched between downtown, Music Row, West End, and Hillsboro Village is Midtown, an area adjacent to the prestigious Vanderbilt University. Here, students, music industry folks, and business executives converge with visitors in the neighborhood’s many chef-driven restaurants and bustling bars.
This neighborhood is considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry. Nestled within homes and buildings are the recording studios from which your favorite songs came to be. Including everything from Elvis Presley's "How Great Thou Art" (recorded at Historic RCA Studio B) to Foo Fighters' "Congregation" (recorded at Southern Ground Nashville).
North Nashville is a neighborhood steeped in rich history. Home to three historically Black universities, Fisk University with its famed art galleries and Fisk Jubilee Singers, Meharry Medical College, and Tennessee State University, North Nashville has long been the hub of the city's Black community. Jefferson Street is known for its musical past, once the epicenter of Nashville's thriving R&B and jazz scene. Today, visitors can explore the shops, bars, and restaurants lining Buchanan Street. A newer point of interest, this area of the neighborhood has seen a surge of development in recent years.
Just ten miles east of downtown and seven miles north of the Nashville International Airport is Music Valley where world-class country music entertainment, family-friendly dining establishments, and bargain shopping can be found. This area is home to the Grand Ole Opry, Opry Mills shopping center, Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, SoundWaves, and some fantastic country-music themed attractions and restaurants.
The south side of downtown Nashville’s Broadway is called SoBro. Unlike its neighbor North of Broadway up the hill, this area is known for all things new – live music venues, restaurants, bars, music museums, and even the just under 15-year-old Schermerhorn Symphony Center designed to look like it’s been there for decades.
Located a few blocks south of downtown Nashville with borders defined by Houston Street to the north, Wedgewood Avenue to the south, Eighth Avenue South to the west, and Fourth Avenue South/Nolensville Pike to the east. The proximity to downtown, relatively affordable rents and real estate prices, and the number of old warehouses, factories, and garages have attracted artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs to open restaurants, distilleries, breweries, galleries, studios, and workshops in the area. Look for major growth in the years to come: Apple Music’s Nashville office is slated to open here soon.
The epicenter of West End is Centennial Park, one of Nashville’s premier urban parks located adjacent to Vanderbilt University and home to a full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon. Just up the way is Elliston Place where some of the city’s most storied rock clubs can be located – hence the microneighborhood’s “Elliston Place Rock Block” nickname – as well as several eclectic dining options. Further south down West End is Belle Meade, a wealthy residential community known for its stately homes including two historic properties that can be toured by visitors: Visit Belle Meade & Winery and Cheekwood Estate & Gardens.