The federal government has moved to meet requirements of a major border security deal with the U.S., by implementing pre-screening of travellers from countries that don’t require a visa to visit Canada.
Beginning next year, visitors from countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, France and Chile will have to apply in advance for an electronic travel authorization before they board a flight to Canada. However, enrollment for the program begins as early as August of this year.
“It’s a hassle, to some extent, but it can be done electronically and the fee is $7. It’s not onerous,” says David Cohen, a Montreal-based immigration lawyer and managing editor of the Canadian Immigration Newsletter blog.
“The benefit for the traveller is that the traveller now knows before they get to a Canadian port of entry whether or not they will be admissible.”
In February 2011 Canada and the U.S. signed the Beyond the Border Action Plan, which has three significant changes affecting travellers to Canada, including the electronic travel authorization.
The new measure was announced a year ago. Government introduced the legislative amendments earlier this month and announced this week that the eTA will come become mandatory as of March 15 of next year.
U.S. citizens are exempt.
“If you are from the U.K., normally, you could just get on a plane, fly into Toronto and when you get up to that port of entry, that CBSA agent is now going to ask you questions – and this is the first time these questions are asked – to find out whether or not you’re admissible to Canada,” Cohen tells Yahoo Canada News.
Last year, 7,055 people were denied entry to Canada when they got off the plane, he says.
“Most of those people were just unaware, in all likelihood,” Cohen says.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/canada-moves-to-tighten-border-controls-192956124.html