Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

Policy effect

Visa-exempt foreign nationals seeking to enter Canada by air on a temporary basis are required to obtain an electronic travel authorization (eTA) prior to entry, effective March 15, 2016.

Conditions and exceptions

Validated condition or limit: Visa-exempt foreign nationals seeking to enter Canada by air on a temporary basis are required to obtain an electronic travel authorization (eTA) prior to entry, effective March 15, 2016.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

Regulations are amended by adding the following after section 7: Electronic travel authorization 7.1 (1) A foreign national referred to in paragraph 7(2)(a) who is exempt from the requirement to obtain a temporary resident visa and who, on or after March 15, 2016, is seeking to enter Canada by air to remain on a temporary basis is, nevertheless, required to obtain an electronic travel authorization before entering Canada, unless they are exempted by subsection (3) from the requirement to obtain one. Holder of temporary resident visa (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a foreign national who holds … Description The amendments require foreign nationals who are currently exempt from a visa requirement to hold an eTA when seeking to enter Canada by air. The amendments to the Regulations add greater specificity to the general legislative framework by establishing the coming-into-force date of the Regulations as August 1, 2015, and the date by which specified foreign nationals will be required to obtain an eTA in order to enter Canada by air as March 15, 2016; creating the regulatory requirement to compel a visa-exempt foreign national to apply for an eTA before seeking to enter Canada by air … implementation of the ESTA program, these amendments achieve this outcome by providing an exemption from the eTA requirement for all travellers seeking to fly to Canada between August 1, 2015, and March 15, 2016. During the enrolment period, travellers may choose to apply for an eTA; however, possession of an eTA will not be mandatory to travel to or enter Canada. Once the enrolment period ends and the IAPI initiative is implemented on March 15, 2016, eTA-required foreign nationals who receive a “no board” message will not be able to board an aircraft destined to Canada if they are not in possession …

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Other Canada changes operative in 2016

• 2016-02-27Parents and grandparents sponsorship cap doubled for the 2016 intake year
• 2016-03-11Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (SOR/2016-37)
• 2016-03-11Revised passenger reservation information privacy regime
• 2016-04-01Canada restores equal basic, supplemental and prescription coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program
• 2016-05-07Employer-sanction grounds for work permit revocation updated
• 2016-11-19Ministerial Instructions Amending the Ministerial Instructions Respecting the Express Entry System, 2016-1
• 2016-11-19Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Skilled Worker) (SOR/2016-298)
• 2016-12-01Temporary Resident Visa Exemption for Citizens of Mexico (SOR/2016-293)
• 2016-12-15Ministerial Instructions on Spousal and Dependent Child Sponsorship Application Intake Simplification
• 2016-12-16Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (SOR/2016-316)