Canada eTA for Tourism Purposes

Updated: Jan 04, 2024 | Tags: Canada eTA Uses, Canada eTA Requirements, Canada eTA Rules

A Canada eTA is an electronic travel authorization that can be used by tourist travellers visiting Canada. Travellers will need to hold a passport from an eTA eligible country. The types of tourism activities an eTA can used for include holidays, sightseeing, visiting family or friends, partaking in a school trip, or other social activities. Similarly, an eTA can be used for attending short courses of study but cannot be used for courses that award university or vocational credit.

Canada eTA for Tourism Purposes

Examples of using an eTA for tourism

Example 1

You hold a passport from an eTA eligible country, such as Australia, and you’re a wanting to visit family and friends in Toronto for a few weeks. In this case, an eTA would be relevant.

Example 2

You are an Italian passport holder, and you are wanting to visit Canada as part of a school or other travel group. In this situation, an eTA would be a suitable choice for a travel authorization.

Example 3

You are a Norwegian passport holder, and you are wanting to partake in a short cooking course in Canada. In this situation, an eTA would be a suitable travel authorization.

Other eTA Requirements

Travelers wishing to obtain an eTA for tourism purposes should review the eTA requirements before applying. The basic requirements for any traveller visiting Canada are as follows:

• Have a passport or other travel document
• Have no communicable diseases such as tuberculosis or syphilis, nor untreated conditions such as an alcohol or drug addiction or psychosis.
• Have no previous criminal history, and if so, be able to provide a spent conviction or clear Police certificate showing no criminal record
• Have no previous immigration issues such as visa refusals or border denials
• Demonstrate strong links to their home country, such links include employment contracts, mortgages, considerable financial assets such as bank accounts, or relatives.
• Demonstrate intention to leave Canada after the purposes of the visit have been fulfilled, examples include booking a return flight to your home country or other non-Canadian destination.
• Demonstrate sufficient funds to support the duration of visit within Canada. The duration and locations visited in Canada, as well as type of accommodation, will determine what amounts to being as a sufficient level of funds. For example, staying at a family or friends house for a one month visit in Toronto will require considerably less money than staying at a hotel in the city centre.

eTA refusals

If Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) determines an applicant to not be eligible to receive an eTA, the eTA application will be refused. The most typical reasons for refusal are due to not responding to an IRCC GCKey request prior to the deadline, thus many refusals can be avoided as long as applicants monitor their emails for communication from IRCC. Applicants will receive notification of the refusal via email, as well as on the GCKey account dashboard for the relevant case file.

Reapply after an eTA refusal

Applicants who have been denied eTA can reapply if they feel the conditions of the refusal no longer apply, or they realize they have made a mistake on their application which may have resulted in the refusal. Applicants can clarify their circumstances on the subsequent application in regards to specific background questions which may have resulted in the initial refusal.

Appealing a refused eTA

eTA refusals can be appealed. To an appeal an eTA decision, an application would need to make a request to the Federal Court of Canada to review the case. An applicant would need to hire a Canadian Immigration lawyer to help initiate the process. The lawyer will then document the history of the applicant’s immigration history up until the point of receiving the eTA refusal, including any relevant communications between the applicant and IRCC. The Canadian immigration lawyer would request for a judicial review, which the Federal Court will review and decide upon. If the Federal Court decides on the applicant’s favour, the eTA refusal would be overturned.

Restrictions

Extending your stay or changing status – you may extend an eTA or apply to switch to a visa category while in Canada. To switch status in Canada, you can file a request to change your status.

Admissibility

An approved eTA does not guarantee admission into Canada for tourism purposes. IRCC has the authority to deny any eTA approved traveller entry into Canada. Denials at the border could be due to reasons such as failing to provide documents requested by border officials, such as a passport, or involvement in criminal, or terrorist activities. Furthermore, approved eTA applicants can be denied entry into Canada for posing health or financial risks.

Medical Treatment in Canada

Planned Medical Treatment – If you have planned medical treatment in Canada, you may be asked at the border to provide proof of the treatment you have scheduled. Having some form of evidence on hand should be sufficient to fulfilling any information requests about medical treatment at the Canadian border. Evidence can include documentation about medical diagnosis, and why the treatment must be done in Canada.

Unplanned Medical Treatment – Medical issues that arise during your trip to the Canada will be treated by local medical staff. Expenses for any unplanned and chargeable treatment will either be covered by your travel insurance company or paid out at any-time before or after treatment.

Conclusion

A Canada eTA provides eligible passport holders with a convenient travel authorization for tourism purposes. An approved eTA is valid for five years upon issuance, or the date of passport expiry, and can be used for multiple visits lasting up to six months at a time. There are only a few restrictions on the types of tourism or medical activities that can performed on an eTA, thus it can be considered as a flexible travel authorization for Canada. Travelers are advised to review the eTA requirements for more information on obtaining an eTA.