Extended eTA for 13 Visa-Required Countries

Summary#

These are the final Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Electronic Travel Authorization). They let certain travellers from 13 visa-required countries apply for an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) instead of a visitor visa when flying to Canada. The changes took effect at 05:30 a.m. EST on June 6, 2023.

What it does#

• Adds these countries to the list of visa-required countries whose eligible air travellers can use an eTA: Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Brazil; Costa Rica; Morocco; Panama; Philippines; Seychelles; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Thailand; Trinidad and Tobago; Uruguay.
• Lets nationals of those countries apply for an eTA (instead of a visa) only if they:
  • are travelling to Canada by air, and
  • have held a Canadian visitor visa within the last 10 years, or
  • hold a valid U.S. visitor visa at the time of application.
• Creates an authority to cancel eTAs for a country if Canada decides to remove that country from the extended-eTA list. Existing eTAs would end unless the country becomes visa-exempt.
• Removes an obsolete special rule about some Romanian travellers who had eTAs tied to non-electronic passports issued before December 1, 2017.
• eTAs cost $7 and, if approved, are valid for five years or until the traveller’s passport expires, whichever comes first.

Who's affected#

• Travellers from the 13 named countries who fly to Canada and meet the visa-history or U.S. visa requirement. These people may no longer need a visitor visa and can apply online for an eTA instead.
• Airlines and airports, which handle arrivals and eTA checks at air borders.
• The travel and tourism sector, which may see increased visitors from these countries.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which run the eTA system and process arrivals.
• Romanian nationals are unlikely to be affected in practice because the source says the old, exceptional eTAs have now expired and the change is mainly housekeeping.

Why it matters#

• For eligible travellers it makes visiting Canada faster and simpler by replacing a visa with a mostly automated online eTA application.
• The government’s analysis expects more visitors: about 217,897 additional travellers over a 10‑year period, increasing tourism spending by an estimated $159,405,913 (present value) over 10 years.
• The regulatory change is projected to cost the government $19,849,959 (present value) and produce a net benefit of about $139,555,953 (present value) over 10 years, according to the regulatory impact statement.
• It helps the government manage risk more cleanly by allowing mass cancellation of eTAs if policy toward a particular country changes.
• The change is already in force as of June 6, 2023, so eligible travellers can apply now.