New measures announced in Canada’s federal budget Tuesday will expand its soon-to-be-introduced Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) program to travelers from Mexico, as well as Brazil, Bulgaria and Romania.
The proposed program mirrors the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in the United States, and will require Canadian-bound travelers from visa-exempt countries who are flying into Canada to apply online for an eTA before they enter. This includes citizens of the United Kingdom and most other European countries, but not U.S. nationals. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the new entry requirement is not mandatory until March 15, 2016. However, eligible travellers will have the opportunity to apply for their eTA from August 1.
Tuesday’s budget – pledging CAD$15.7 million over five years to expand the program to low-risk travelers from Mexico – will go a long way to easing the friction between the two countries that has endured ever since the administration of Prime Minister Stephen Harper implemented a visa requirement for Mexican travelers six years ago.
The CIC says the inclusion of Mexico will follow once the eTA program is successfully implemented in March 2016 for travellers who are currently visa exempt.
The National Airlines Council of Canada said Canada’s major airlines welcomed the budget measure. “Making it faster and easier to visit Canada is fundamental to expanding business, trade and travel,” it commented in a press release.
Mexico’s Foreign Relations Ministry (SRE) issued a statement Tuesday noting that the change of heart by the Canadian government was due to an “extensive diplomatic dialogue” and the “development of mutual trust.”
According to the CIC, online applications for eTA will cost CAD$7.00 and require submission of basic bio-data and background information that would normally be collected by officers at the airport. As with the ESTA system in the United States, the vast majority of applications will be processed online within minutes. Non-routine cases, however, will be deferred to an office in Canada for further processing before a decision is made. Generally, eTAs will be issued for five years at a time, unless an applicant’s passport or travel document expires sooner or an issue of inadmissibility arises.
The information required will consist of: 1. the applicant’s name; 2. the applicant’s date and place of birth; 3. the applicant’s gender; 4. the applicant’s marital status; 5. the applicant’s address; 6. the applicant’s nationality; 7. the number of the applicant’s passport or other travel document, together with its date of issue and its expiry date and the country or the authority that issued it; 8. the purpose and duration of the applicant’s temporary visit to Canada.
According to Canadian immigration specialists, individuals who attempt to check in to flights and who have not obtained an eTA will be informed that they are prohibited from traveling to Canada.
Experts say the Canadian government will tap into criminal record database sharing agreements with European and other visa-exempt nations to assess the applications.
As well as U.S. citizens, among those not required to obtain an eTA are accredited diplomats, as well as Queen Elizabeth II and members of the British Royal Family.