WINNIPEG – The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that 13 countries including the Philippines have been added to the electronic travel authorization (eTA) program of Canada. Travelers from said 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 traveling to Canada by air.
The Minister made the announcement at a press briefing shortly after arriving around noon at Winnipeg’s James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. Fraser was flanked by fellow Liberal MPs Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North) and Rechie Valdez (Mississauga — Streetsville), chair of the Canada Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group, during the event that was also live-streamed over YouTube.
Eligible travelers from the following countries can benefit from the program effective today:
- 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
With the expansion of Canada’s eTA program, Fraser expects that this will also divert thousands of applications from Canada’s visa caseload, enabling the IRCC to process visa applications more efficiently, which will benefit all visa applicants.
After the announcement at the airport, Minister Fraser along with MPs Valdez and Lamoureux proceeded to Lucita’s Restaurant in the North End of Winnipeg for a buffet lunch and a meet & greet with select members of Winnipeg’s Filipino community to wish them well this Filipino Heritage Month.
There was a short Q&A between the Minister and the guests at the luncheon where Fraser clarified that those 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 traveling 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. Travelers can visit Canada.ca/eTA to find out whether they’re eligible for an eTA and how to apply for one.
The eTA is a digital travel document that costs CAD 7 to apply, and most applications are automatically approved within minutes. To apply for an eTA, travelers need only a valid passport, a credit card, an email address, and access to the Internet. Since the eTA program was introduced on August 1, 2015, almost 20.9 million eTAs have been issued.