Starting immediately, permanent residents of the United States do not need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to board flights to Canada.
“These individuals must carry official proof of their status in the United States (or an equivalent status document) and a valid passport from their country of nationality (or an equivalent travel document) for all methods of travel to Canada,” notes Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada on its website.
However, eTAs, which were previously required for permanent residents of the United States to fly to or even just through Canada, are no longer required.
Travellers Who Need eTAs Must Apply For Them Online
Nations whose citizens are required to obtain eTAs under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) must do so through Canada’s electronic system and pay for them before arriving.
These countries are:
- Andorra;
- Australia;
- Austria;
- Bahamas
- Barbados;
- Belgium;
- British citizens;
- British nationals (overseas);
- British overseas citizens (re-admissible to the United Kingdom);
- British overseas territory citizens with citizenship through birth, descent, naturalization or registration in one of the British overseas territories of:
- Anguilla;
- Bermuda;
- British Virgin Islands;
- Cayman Islands;
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas);
- Gibraltar;
- Montserrat;
- Pitcairn Island;
- Saint Helena;
- Turks and Caicos Islands;
- British subjects with a right of abode in the United Kingdom;
- Brunei Darussalam;
- Bulgaria;
- Chile;
- Croatia;
- Cyprus;
- Czech Republic;
- Denmark;
- Estonia;
- Finland;
- France;
- Germany;
- Greece;
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China;
- Hungary;
- Iceland;
- Ireland;
- Israel;
- Italy;
- Japan;
- Republic of Korea;
- Latvia;
- Liechtenstein;
- Lithuania;
- Luxembourg;
- Malta;
- Mexico;
- Monaco;
- Netherlands;
- New Zealand;
- Norway;
- Papua New Guinea;
- Poland;
- Portugal;
- Romania;
- Samoa;
- San Marino;
- Singapore;
- Slovakia;
- Slovenia;
- Solomon Islands;
- Spain;
- Sweden;
- Switzerland;
- Taiwan;
- United Arab Emirates;
- the Vatican.
Foreign nationals travelling to or transiting through Canada by land, sea, or rail are exempt from obtaining eTAs, which are valid for five years or until the applicant’s passport expires, whichever comes first.
“Applications for … eTAs, including eTA expansion, are, for the most part, online, automated applications. Applications that are not approved automatically by the Global Case Management System (GCMS) require manual review at the Operations Support Centre (OSC). Applications may trigger manual review at different stages for either or both of the following reasons: identity reconciliation, or; derogatory information,” notes the IRCC
Under the IRPA, Canadian immigration officers have the authority to conduct Canadian criminal record checks and request documents from applicants in order to determine admissibility. As the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions are lifted and international travel resumes, the Canadian border is becoming increasingly congested.
“Last week, our border saw over one million travellers, a new high since the start of #COVID1,” tweeted the Canada Border Services Agency last Friday. “Have your passport, #ArriveCAN receipt and proof of vaccination ready when crossing the border.”
Ottawa eased and simplified border measures for some groups of travellers earlier this week, including children aged five to eleven travelling with vaccinated parents. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children aged five to eleven who are accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent, stepparent, guardian, or tutor will no longer be required to complete a pre-entry COVID-19 test for entry to Canada, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Pre-entry tests will continue to be required for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers aged 12 and up who are currently eligible to travel to Canada. Children under the age of five are exempt from providing a COVID-19 test result.
Fully vaccinated visitors are also no longer required to present a quarantine plan upon entry.
“This requirement will also be waived for children aged five to eleven who are accompanied by a fully-vaccinated parent, stepparent, guardian, or tutor, as well as travellers who have a medical contraindication to the COVID-19 vaccine,” according to the PHAC website.
Legal Disclaimer: This article is provided for information purposes only.
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