Pack your bags—we’re going to Canada!
Been dreaming of visiting Toronto, Vancouver or the Canadian Rockies? You’re one step closer now with the Philippines being included among 13 countries that Canada has added to its Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) program.
This means Filipinos traveling for business or leisure can enter Canada without a visa and need only to apply online for an eTA, which costs CAD$7 or P300.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said in a news release yesterday, “Expanding the eTA program to include countries like the Philippines is also an important part of our Indo-Pacific Strategy, as we look to further engage in the region, build on people-to-people ties, and make travel to Canada easier, faster, and safer for everyone.”
The eTA program is effective immediately for Filipinos who have held a Canadian visitor’s visa in the past 10 years or a valid United States non-immigrant visa.
Along with the Philippines, Canada announced the addition of Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Costa Rica, Morocco, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay to its eTA program.
In the past 10 years, Canada issued 466,936 temporary resident visas to Filipino citizens.
Who’s eligible?
The Canadian Embassy in Manila said the Philippines’ inclusion in the eTA program is effective immediately. Eligible Filipinos are those who have held a Canadian visitor’s visa in the past 10 years or a valid United States non-immigrant visa.
Only those traveling by air are eligible for an eTA. Travelers crossing the border by car, bus, train and boat, including cruise ships, still need to apply for a visitor’s visa at the Canadian Embassy in Manila.
The embassy added that applications online are automatically approved within minutes, while Filipinos who already have a valid visa may continue to use it to travel to Canada.
“Introducing visa-free air travel will make it faster, easier, and more affordable for thousands of known travelers from the Philippines to visit Canada for up to six months for either business or leisure,” the Canadian Embassy said. “It will also help facilitate more travel, tourism, and international business between our countries, and help strengthen people-to-people and cultural ties.”
“Canada is a destination of choice for so many around the world. We’re making it easier for more people to visit Canada, whether they’re coming to do business, sightsee, or reunite with family and friends,” Foreign Minister Joly said.
Canada already has existing mobility measures for the Philippines, including allowing Philippine passport holders to fly through Canada on their way to or from the US without a Canadian visa, as well as the Student Direct Stream, which offers expedited study permit processing to those who want to study in Canada.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo described the Philippine inclusion in Canada’s eTA program as a “milestone and a striking indication of Canada’s growing friendship and trust in the Philippines.”
He added, “The Philippines considers Canada as a close partner due to its well-established people-to-people ties and looks forward to charting a new era of engagement under this new policy,” Manalo, who had a meeting with his Canadian counterpart Joly in May, said.
During their meeting, the two foreign ministers agreed to elevate bilateral cooperation across socio-economic, political and security sectors.
