Published on: Dec 30, 2019
The majority of eTA applications are instantly processed. Applicants are notified via email usually within five to ten minutes after submission. However, it is common for Canada eTA approvals to also be processed several hours or days after application submission.
There are no set timelines that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) adheres to for processing applications. Thus, applicants should not concern themselves if they do not receive an approval within several hours. If an application is flagged for further screening, the applicant will usually be notified within 24-48 hours. There are a number of different Canada eTA status’ which provide indication of the processing timeline. Applicants can also check the status of their eTA application for any recent updates if they do not receive notice via email.
The most common reasons for not receiving an eTA include the following:
No, you cannot travel to Canada without a valid and approved travel authorization if you hold a passport from a country that is visa-exempt. United States passport holders do not require an eTA or a visa to visit Canada. Other travellers that are eligible for a Canada eTA must have an approved eTA or Canadian visitor visa prior to boarding a plane to Canada.
If your eTA application was denied, you can reapply if your circumstances have changed or if you can correct previous mistakes on your application that led to the refusal. You may be required to provide evidence of a change in circumstances; however, applicants can provide additional information on why their application should be reconsidered.
You can regularly check the status of your eTA with your application number. If you do receive any communication from IRCC, you can contact their eTA processing team directly by using the following webform: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/contacts/web-form.asp
An approved eTA is required to board a plane bound for Canada. If an eTA applicant has not received an update on their application after several days, they can check the status of their application online or contact IRCC for more information and request a change of the email address associated with their application should they have issues with receiving emails to their email account.
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