Canada’s New Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) will become mandatory on 15 March 2016, and costs $7 CAD (per person). Any person who is from a non-Visa required country and who is flying into Canada, must be able to present an eTA approval document in order to be admitted into Canada. It is important to note that an eTA must be completed for each family member who is flying into Canada irrespective of age or dependency.
There are exceptions to the eTA program, such as: US citizens; visitors, students or workers who seek to re-enter Canada after solely visiting the USA and returning to Canada before the expiry of their current CIC document; diplomatic passport holders, etc.
A foreign national can apply online to obtain an eTA that is valid for 5 years. The eTA is linked to the foreign national’s passport, and thus, if the foreign national loses his/her passport or if it is lost or stolen, then a new eTA must be obtained.
The online service requires the foreign national to have a valid passport, credit card and email address. The foreign national will need to go online and fill out the form which asks for basic information (name, date of birth, passport details, etc.). The form also asks the foreign national for the following details:
• Preferred language of communication with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (English or French);
• Marital status;
• Whether the foreign national has multiple citizenships or permanent resident status in another country;
• How much money the foreign national will be travelling with;
• Job title, occupation and the employer’s name and address;
• Whether the foreign national has been denied entry into any country, including Canada;
• Whether the foreign national has ever been charged with or been convicted of a crime;
• Health questions;
• The reason for coming to Canada.
Generally, the eTA application will be approved within minutes, but there are instances where CIC requires more time. In those cases, CIC will send the applicant email correspondence (within 3 days) which outlines the next steps. As the program develops, eTA processing times will be posted on the CIC website (www.cic.gc.ca).
If the person is a Canadian Permanent Resident then he/she does not need an eTA
Please Contact Us for more information.