Who Does not Need an eTA to Travel to Canada?
An Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is an electronic document that allows visa-exempt travellers fly to Canada or transit through Canada. For more information about eTA, read the following article:
If you belong to the following groups you do not need an eTA:
- People who enter Canada by sea, rail, or road
- Canadian citizens or dual-citizen
- Canadian permanent residents
- People who need a visa to travel to Canada
There are some other groups that are exempt from eTA. According to IRCC website, these people include:
- US Citizens or permanent residents of the United States
- Her Majesty the Queen of Canada and any member of the Royal Family
- April 26, 2022: lawful permanent residents of the United States (e.g., Green Card holders)
- Citizens of France who are residents of St. Pierre and Miquelon who seek to enter Canada directly from St. Pierre and Miquelon.
- Visitors, students and workers, who seek to re-enter Canada after solely visiting either the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon, providing that they return to Canada by the end of the period initially authorized for their stay or any extension to it.
- Foreign nationals who are passengers on a flight stopping in Canada for the sole purpose of refuelling and
- possess proper documents to enter the United States and their flight is bound for that country, or
- They were lawfully admitted to the United States and their flight originated in that country.
- Foreign nationals who are passengers on a flight that, owing to an emergency or other unforeseen circumstances, makes an unscheduled stop in Canada.
- Foreign nationals seeking to transit through Canada under Transit Without Visa or China Transit Program.
- Foreign nationals who hold a passport that contains a diplomatic acceptance, a consular acceptance or an official acceptance issued by the Chief of Protocol for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on behalf of the Government of Canada and are properly accredited diplomats, consular officers, representatives or officials of a country other than Canada, of the United Nations or any of its agencies, or of any international organization of which Canada is a member.
- Foreign nationals seeking to enter and remain in Canada solely:
- As a crew member of a means of transportation that may be used for transportation by air or to become a member of such a crew; or
- To transit through Canada after working, or to work, as a crew member of a means of transportation that may be used for transportation by air, if they possess a ticket for departure from Canada within 24 hours after their arrival in Canada.
- Foreign nationals seeking to enter and remain in Canada solely to carry out official duties as a member of the armed forces of a country that is a designated state for the purposes of the Visiting Forces Act, unless they have been designated under that Act as a civilian component of those armed forces.
- Foreign nationals seeking to enter and remain in Canada solely to conduct inspections of the flight operation procedures or cabin safety of a commercial air carrier operating international flights, if they are a civil aviation inspector of a national aeronautical authority and possess valid documentation to that effect.
- Foreign nationals seeking to enter and remain in Canada solely to participate as an accredited representative or as an adviser to an aviation accident or incident investigation conducted under the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act, if they possess valid documentation to that effect.” (The list copied and pasted from www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas-all.asp#eta-exemptions)
This list may change in the future. Make sure to seek advice from IRCC website or an RCIC (Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant) for up-to-date information.
We will publish some articles about eTA soon so sign up to our newsletter or contact us for more information. You may also book an appointment for official immigration advice.
Other posts:
- What is an eTA? electronic Travel Authorization
- Canada eTA During the leniency period
- Definition of spouse for the purpose of immigration to Canada
- Definition of spousal sponsor
- How to move to Canada? General Info
- How to move to Canada? Federal Programs
- How to move to Canada? Provincial Programs
- How to move to Canada? Express Entry Visa
- Some immigration acronyms
Disclaimer:
“This article provides information of a general nature only. It may no longer be current. It does not provide legal advice nor should it be relied upon. If you have specific legal questions you should consult a lawyer. If you are looking for official immigration advice contact us.”
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Al Parsai, LLM, MA, RCIC-IRB
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
Adjunct Professor, Queen’s University Faculty of Law
Instructor, Ashton College, Immigration Consulting Program
Author of 88 Tips on Immigration to Canada and Inadmissibility to Canada for Human Rights Violations
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