Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Sean Fraser announced yesterday from Winnipeg, the addition of 13 countries, which included the Philippines, to the electronic travel authorization (eTA) program
Travellers from the Philippines and 12 other countries who have either held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or who currently hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa can now apply for an eTA instead of a visa when travelling to Canada by air.
Effective June 6, 2023, eligible travellers from these countries can benefit from the program:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Costa Rica
- Morocco
- Panama
- Philippines
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Seychelles
- Thailand
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uruguay
Introducing visa-free air travel will make it faster, easier, and more affordable for thousands of travellers to visit Canada for up to six months for either business or leisure. It will also help grow Canada’s economy by facilitating more travel, tourism and international business, and by strengthening Canada’s relationships with these countries while keeping Canadians safe.
This decision will also divert thousands of applications from Canada’s visa caseload, allowing us to process visa applications more efficiently, which will benefit all visa applicants.
Individuals who already have a valid visa can continue to use it to travel to Canada. Those who are not eligible for an eTA, or who are travelling to Canada by means other than air (for example, by car, bus, train and boat—including by cruise ship), will still need a visitor visa.
Travellers can visit Canada.ca/eTA to find out whether they’re eligible for an eTA and how to apply for one.
(SOURCE: Immigration Refugees Citizenship Canada Press release, June 6, 2023)
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