Canada has now turned on its new requirement that British vacationers traveling to Canada must apply for an electronic travel authorization (eTA) and pay $7 Canadian in fees before they can travel to Canada.
It’s similar to the eSTA required for travel to the U.S. Britons had previously not needed a visa or other document other than their British passports. The new requirement actually was supposed to be in effect starting last March, but a series of electronic glitches forced postponement.
Canadians traveling to Britain still do not need any extra documents. And the requirement only applies to air arrivals; ship and land entries don’t require it.
Canada’s immigration authority combined the new system with another change: Canada is now one of the few nations that allow an applicant to choose among male, female or ‘other’ when they fill out the form.
Above: Quebec’s classic hotel…but you’ll need an eTA before you arrive.
Male, Female or other ?? Stop the World – I want to get off !!
Nothing to do with Brexit either.
Confusing.
I always find the lunacy of Immigration and Customs a good measure of the people you are going to meet in the next few weeks. Even in the US you’ll meet officials from either end of the spectrum – depending on where you arrive into the US. Please don’t apologise Paul – makes me feel guilty. I welcome being criticised and mocked. The views of others on me and other Brits in general is fascinating. The same is not true when I visit other countries. Many people go for a weapon when I the question “Why do you need a gun ?”
I think the new $7 ETA applies to the whole world except Americans, Canadians, people who already have a visa and people who have a Canadian Permanent Resident card. This includes Mexico whose requirement was changed on 1st Dec from a visa to an ETA.
Similar to the number of US companies that are now British or Chinese owned.
Even Budweiser has fell to the highest bidder in Europe !
The fee is a yet another stupid idea from the current government. The fee is annoying, doesn’t really generate any revenue or pay for the process of checking out a visitor, and comes with stupid choices like the “other” one described above. Have no idea what problems they thought they were solving with this….
Then shame on Harper’s government. It’s a stupid idea.
There are a few more twists to it, but basically it applies to everyone who does not need a visa to visit Canada; it is in place of a visa. It just seemed to me (and to the British newspaper that first drew my attention to it) an ironic twist in the relationship between the two countries, much as I have been amused by Indian ownership of British car makes and major steel production. Who would have imagined such things years ago!
GarryRF: it was perhaps a bad joke about Britons exiting to visit Canada. Sorry.
DrF: you may well be right about it being a bad idea, but it’s not on Trudeau, who became PM last year. Harper had it passed in 2014 to take effect earlier this year.