Visa policy of Canada

[8] Immigration officials have the discretion to limit the duration that visitors may enter the country as well as impose additional conditions.

[89] In order to be added to the visa waiver list a country has to fulfil about 40 conditions, grouped into 7 categories:[90] The decision is made by analyzing all of the criteria in an overall review instead of a checklist so there is a certain level of flexibility.

In December 2013, the Canadian government announced intention to introduce a system named Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), similar to the U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), as part of an action plan to establish a common approach to screening visa-exempt foreign nationals.

Visitors can apply through the website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and are required to pay a cost recovery fee of CA$7.

[94] Following a risk assessment of the applicant, an eTA valid for multiple entries to Canada over a period of up to five years or until the passport's expiration date, whichever is shorter, should be issued.

[101] Those without valid PR cards or PRTDs are not allowed to board a flight to Canada and, if they no longer wish to maintain their permanent resident status, must renounce it first in order to be eligible for an eTA.

However, an expired U.S. visa is acceptable for transit when travelling from the U.S. to a third country if the passenger has not overstayed the authorized period in the U.S. and is not under a removal or deportation order.

[109] Temporary residents are subjected to a number of conditions, such as the length of stay, and the ability to work or study while in Canada.

[112][113][89] Holders of passports issued by Greenland and the United States, permanent residents of the United States, French citizens residing in St. Pierre and Miquelon and nationals of visa-exempt countries are eligible to apply for a study permit on arrival if holding sufficient documentations.

[114] Nationals of Mexico and the United States whose professions are covered under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are able to apply for a work permit on arrival.

Citizens of a visa-exempt country and U.S. permanent residents may also apply and receive the same benefit, but will not be given a visa label in their passport.

[141] On 13 July 2009, visa restrictions were reintroduced for Mexican citizens travelling to Canada because of three main factors: the number of refugee claims for Mexican nationals has substantially increased from less than 3,500 in 2005 to almost 9,500 in 2008, the immigration violation rate has steadily increased over the past three years and the risks related to travel documents, organised crime and corruption.

[143] However, on 16 July 2009, Canada reintroduced visa requirements for Czech citizens as the overstay percentage was very high because many Roma filed for asylum.

"[146] In October 2013, following a contentious reform of the refugee determination system that significantly brought down the number of false asylum claims,[147] Canada lifted visa requirement for Czech citizens effective immediately on November 14, 2013.

[148] Starting from 22 November 2010, holders of an ordinary Taiwan passport with a personal identification number were able to enter Canada without a visa because "TRV refusal rates and the number of immigration violations, removals, and asylum claims by Taiwan passport holders are low".

[150] Botswana, Namibia, and Swaziland were removed primarily due to concerns relating to human trafficking (especially of minors) and the use of fraudulent documents.

In addition, the removal of Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was prompted by the "unacceptably high number of asylum claims from St. Lucia and St. Vincent, with about one and a half percent and three percent of the population of these countries making asylum claims in Canada over the past five years".

[152] In October 2014, it was reported that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the European Union might not be ratified by Bulgaria and Romania unless the visa requirement was lifted for their citizens by Canada.

[90] As of 22 November 2014, holders of Saint Kitts and Nevis passports need a visa to enter Canada due to national security concerns related to the country's citizenship by investment program.

[155] In December 2014, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird announced changes in legislation that would allow a visa-free regime for all EU citizens.

[160][161] On 28 June 2016, Trudeau announced that the visa requirements for Mexican nationals would be lifted on 1 December 2016, although many government officials were critical of the plan and advised against it.

The risks identified include Mexico's weak passport controls, a potential rise in fake asylum claims, the increase of human and illegal drug trafficking, and the involvement of organized crime of some travellers.

In addition, the U.S. can potentially tighten border controls which may slow the cross-border trades between the two countries and harm Canada's economy.

[162] Opposition parties criticized that the move was "a completely political quid pro quo" in exchange for the Mexican government to lift the ban on Canadian beef since 2003.

[163] On 31 October 2016, the Canadian government announced that Canada intended to lift visa requirement for Romanian and Bulgarian citizens on 1 December 2017.

According to CBC News, sources confirmed that after Donald Trump had been elected to the U.S. presidency on 8 November 2016, high-level meetings took place between officials at IRCC and other departments in order to prepare for a potential surge of asylum seekers and overstayers from Mexico, although the visa requirements will still be dropped on 1 December as planned.

[168] On 5 June 2018, the Canadian government announced that due to "a substantial increase in asylum claims and non-bona fide travel from Romania, with a concerning number of travellers using temporary and other non-electronic passports", Canada has immediately imposed visa restrictions on Romanian citizens who do not hold biometric passports and who did not obtain an eTA prior to 1 December 2017.

Persons whose eTA was issued prior to 1 December 2017 or those who hold Romanian biometric passports are not affected by this restriction.

2 Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Russia and the partially recognised republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia each span the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia.