The honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship today at Winnipeg expanded access to the eTA program, offering a visa-free travel to travellers from 13 countries.
Here's the list of countries that qualifies for the eTA programs::
Philippines
Morocco
Panama
Antigua and Barbuda
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent and Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Argentina
Costa Rica
Uruguay
Seychelles
Thailand
To qualify for this, travellers should either have held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or currently hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa, can now apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) instead of a visa when travelling to Canada by air.
The goal of this decision is to divert thousands of applications from Canada's visa caseload and to grow the economy by facilitating more travel, tourism and international business establishing stronger bonds with these countries.
Let's take a look at some important facts you should be aware of:
The eTA is a required digital travel document for visa-exempt travelers entering or transiting through Canada by air.
The application fee is CAN$7, and the majority of applications are approved automatically within minutes, and travellers need only a valid passport, a credit card, an email address and access to the Internet.
Canadian authorities employ the eTA application for a streamlined pre-travel screening of air travelers.
Since August 1, 2015, almost 20.9 million eTAs have been issued. The eTA program was expanded in April 2017 to include eligible Brazilians, Bulgarians, and Romanians. Visa requirements were lifted for citizens of Bulgaria and Romania. In the next year, Canada expects 200,000 more visitors from these countries, bringing approximately $160 million in additional tourism revenue within a decade.
Source: Government of Canada
What's Next?
Your Country is not on the list but do you still want to visit Canada?
We offer you a chance to visit Canada by booking a Canadian Visiting Visa Consultation with one of our Reglauted Canadian Immigration consultants.