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The Canadian government’s new eTA: electronic travel authorization becomes mandatory for thousands of foreign students, faculty, researchers and visitors to Canada from visa-exempt countries in mid-March 2016. But the federal government would like travellers to apply for the inexpensive documentation ahead of time, and is getting the word out to universities and other groups that will be affected by the new rule.
U.S. passport holders will be exempt from the new requirement, but everyone else who is accustomed to travelling to Canada without a visa must have an eTA or they will be denied entry: airlines will not allow them to board their flights. This includes citizens from most of Europe, including the United Kingdom, and from many Caribbean countries, Australia, and New Zealand. (It’s easy to check whether an eTA is needed by going to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website.)
Immigration authorities are urging people to beat the last-minute rush by applying online now. An eTA costs $7 and is valid for five years.
A number of the current holders of study and work permits could inadvertently find themselves barred from Canada after next March. CIC says that “International students from visa-exempt countries who get their study permit on or after August 1, 2015, will automatically be issued an eTA, along with their permit. However, study permit holders who received their permit on or before July 31, 2015, will need to get an eTA if they plan to leave Canada and return by air, starting March 15, 2016.”
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