Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) for new CoPR

[ginsengsamurai]

Hello everyone...

I already took a read through this thread: http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t346856.0.html and http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/eta.asp. On the CIC website, it said:

You cannot apply for an eTA if you are:
- a Canadian citizen or a dual Canadian citizen,
- a Canadian permanent resident, or
- a U.S. citizen. (However, lawful permanent residents of the U.S. need an eTA if travelling by air.)

My wife just received her CoPR in the mail. Does that count as being "Canadian Permanent Resident" or does she actually have to have her Permanent Resident Card to be officially considered a Permanent Resident?

 

[truesmile]

She has to "land", before she is considered a PR.

 

[ginsengsamurai]

Okay thanks. She went ahead and applied for the eTA ($7 cdn) and got it approved within an hour.

 

[Oleander]

i am confused about this. My husband will be doing his landing prior to March (he has a visa exempt passport). The pr card takes a few months to come in the mail but once he does his landing (and before he receives the pr card) he will need to travel back to settle affairs. Should he get his eta before he does his landing (since once he lands, he won't be able to apply for eta) or will he be able to travel on the basis of his visa exempt passport anyways.

 

[Rob_TO]

i am confused about this. My husband will be doing his landing prior to March (he has a visa exempt passport). The pr card takes a few months to come in the mail but once he does his landing (and before he receives the pr card) he will need to travel back to settle affairs. Should he get his eta before he does his landing (since once he lands, he won't be able to apply for eta) or will he be able to travel on the basis of his visa exempt passport anyways.

The eTA should be cancelled as soon as he lands as a PR. So most likely he won't be able to use it to fly back to Canada after becoming a PR.

There are a few options he can consider
- if traveling back to Canada before eTA becomes mandatory (March 15), he can try to return on just his visa-exempt passport as a visitor, not mentioning to airline he's a PR with no PR card
- if someone in Canada will get his PR card in the mail, they can courier it to him at his home country. PR card takes 2-3 months to arrive after landing.
- he can apply for a PR Travel Document from a visa office in his home country, and use that to fly home
- if he flies to the US, he can drive across the border into Canada with just his COPR

 

[nyctomtl]

Does anyone know if an American with COPR (but no PR card) can fly to Canada? I'm thinking he would have trouble with the airline. Would having a return ticket (return to the US) help? If so it creates a strange dynamic: the traveler is representing to the airline that he is a visitor to Canada so he can board. But then he shows COPR to the Canadian immigration officer and enters Canada as a PR.

If I'm right, it seems like always having a (fully refundable!) ticket from Canada to the US solves this problem while awaiting PR card.

 

[Rob_TO]

Does anyone know if an American with COPR (but no PR card) can fly to Canada? I'm thinking he would have trouble with the airline. Would having a return ticket (return to the US) help? If so it creates a strange dynamic: the traveler is representing to the airline that he is a visitor to Canada so he can board. But then he shows COPR to the Canadian immigration officer and enters Canada as a PR.

If I'm right, it seems like always having a (fully refundable!) ticket from Canada to the US solves this problem while awaiting PR card.

Many PRs who are US citizens have flown to Canada without their PR card, simply by telling the airline they're traveling as a visitor on their visa-exempt passport if asked.
In a few cases, the airline inquires about return or onward journey from Canada, since visitors are expected to leave Canada before 6 months. In most cases, the airline doesn't care since it's a visa-exempt passport.

If you have a return or onward ticket, you will most likely have absolutely no problems. Hundreds of thousands of US travelers fly to Canada all the time like this.

You should just not volunteer the info that you're a PR to the airline, since once they learn that they may demand to see a valid PR card and refuse to allow boarding without it.

What you tell the airline and what you tell CBSA, are 2 completely separate events.

 

[NVJ]

Okay thanks. She went ahead and applied for the eTA ($7 cdn) and got it approved within an hour.

HI. When your wife applied for the eta, what did she answer for the "previous applications" question? Did she put down her current UCI number? We are a bit confused as we don't have an application previous to this but do have a UCI number.

Thanks

 

[Aquakitty]

Has anyone confirmed they actually cancel the ETA after landing? Who knows with CIC.

 

[Peterh1970]

I've got my CoPR on the end of January, but I only can arrive in Canada in May, so I've went through the eTA procedure and I've used my UCI from the CoPR and address the address where I still live right now in Belgium because right now it is still my official address.
I've got my eTA confirmation after 2 minutes in my email.

 

[canvis2006]

I thought eTA is only for temporary visitors from visa-exempt countries.
Immigrant Visas are (supposed to be) exempt from this.

Think of it like ESTA in the USA, or Australian ETA. It's for visitors only

 

[PMM]

Hi

I thought eTA is only for temporary visitors from visa-exempt countries.
Immigrant Visas are (supposed to be) exempt from this.

Think of it like ESTA in the USA, or Australian ETA. It's for visitors only

1. Visitor visa exempt citizens with a COPR require an ETA coming to Canada to "land"

 

[mega_option101]

Hi


1. Visitor visa exempt citizens with a COPR require an ETA coming to Canada to "land"

Do you only need an eTA if you are coming in to "land" by air?

 

[Jmjsalcedo]

Hi im ah TFW under LICP.. Do i need and eta coz im having my vacation on April in the Philippines?

 

[hfts]

No, u do not need eta if ur holding copr.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=1184&top=16