As anticipated, an electronic travel authorization is coming into force as of August 1st, 2015. From August 1st, 2015, it is only voluntary for travellers with no entry visa requirement to Canada to have Electronic Travel Authority (eTA). As of March 15th, 2016, it will become mandatory, subject to those who are exempted from such requirement, such as US citizens or the Queen and her heirs.
The fee is $7.00 per person per issuance. The processing time is expected within 72 hours from submitting your application. Initially, it may have a validity of one year, but it may increase potentially up to five years, depending on applicants. Along with eTA, travellers with no visa for Canada, subject to exemption, are required to submit their biometrics as well.
The purpose of eTA is to detect any inadmissible foreign nationals from non-visa requirement in advance prior to their travel to Canada. Four specific countries currently requiring visa to enter into Canada would get exemption of such visa requirement if eTA and biometric information are submitted – Mexico, Bulgaria, Brazil and Romania.
I recommend anyone who has any trouble with law – including any regulatory issues (fines or suspensions) – in your home country or anywhere you have resided more than six months in a calendar year since you turned 18 years old to clean out their record as soon as possible.
I strongly urge people to check in advance because some regulatory fined conducts may be criminal coded conducts in Canada – a prime example is a driving under the influence (drinking/driving).
If you have any individual questions or concerns, please contact our office for more customized consultation for your unique situation. Please note that this posting is for general information only and is not to be considered binding or official legal counsel since situations will vary and can be complicated. The content in this post is current as of the day of entry. Due to the changing nature of Immigration law, the information in this entry may or may not still be applicable.