The short answer is yes, your approved Canada eTA application can be revoked if new relevant information comes to light. Continue reading to find out what to do if that happens.
Can I still travel to Canada if my eTA is revoked after initially being approved?
The Canadian authorities can revoke an eTA in situations where new information becomes available about your admissibility to Canada. At that moment, an immigration official will cancel your approved eTA and inform you of this via email. Once your eTA has been revoked, you should not try to enter Canada without following the correct procedures. If you decide to fly to that country with a revoked eTA, you will not even be allowed to board your flight.
It is not recommended that you apply for a new eTA before you have addressed the issue or issues that lead to the previous one being revoked.
When you apply for an eTA or a visa, a Canadian immigration official will make a decision on whether or not you should be allowed to travel to that country. If he or she finds you inadmissible, you will not get an eTA or a visa. In that case, you will be refused entry into Canada or, if you are already in the country, you can be removed.
On what grounds can one be found inadmissible to Canada?
There are various reasons, including the following:
– Security issues, such as involvement in espionage, terrorism, violence, subversion (i.e. trying to overthrow a legitimate government), or the fact that you belong to an organization that is involved in such matters.
– International or human rights violations such as crimes against humanity, war crimes, or being a senior government official in a regime that is involved in serious human rights violations and/or that is being sanctioned by the international community.
– You committed a serious crime such as driving a vehicle while being under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
– You are part of organized crime. This includes being a member of a group that is involved in money laundering, people smuggling, or other organized crime.
– You suffer from a medical condition that could endanger public safety or public health in Canada or could place a huge demand on social or health services.
– You are unwilling or unable to financially support yourself and the members of your family.
– You misrepresented facts when you applied. This can include either withholding information or providing false information that is related to decisions taken under IRPA (the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act).
– You failed to comply with any or all of the relevant IRPA requirements.
– One or more of your family members were found inadmissible.
– You failed to adhere to the conditions of your stay by, for example, staying longer than permitted or studying or working without the required permits.
– You are a Permanent resident who failed to live in Canada for the required time.
– You are an individual who has been deported and subsequently attempted to gain entry into Canada without having the necessary documentary authorization.
What does it actually mean if you become inadmissible to Canada?
When someone is no longer allowed to enter Canada, such a person is described as “inadmissible” under that country’s immigration legislation.
A Canadian immigration official has to decide whether or not you are allowed to enter the country when you:
– submit an application for an eTA or a visa or
– when you try to enter the country at a Canadian port of entry
There are numerous reasons why the Canadian authorities might not want to allow you entry into the country, including criminal, security, and medical reasons.
What are the implications of becoming inadmissible to Canada?
If you become inadmissible to Canada, it means just that: you will not be allowed to enter that country. If you feel that your reason for wanting to visit Canada is a valid one, and under the current circumstances justified, you can instead apply for a temporary residence permit or TRP.
If you have been found guilty of committing a crime, there are a few options open to you.
Penalties for driving under the influence – If you have been found guilty of driving while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, cannabis included, you could be classified as being inadmissible because of serious criminality. The implications of this would include:
- you will not be allowed to enter or remain in Canada unless the Canadian authorities are willing to give you a TRP or temporary residence permit
- you will be required to pay the processing fee of CAN$239.75 for this permit – yet there isn’t any guarantee that you will be permitted to enter or remain in Canada.
So how can I still visit Canada if my eTA application has been revoked?
The bad news is that there isn’t any official appeals process once an eTA has been revoked. You can reapply – but unless the circumstances that led to the refusal have significantly changed or new information has become available, it will just be refused again.
If you applied for an eTA online and the authorities refused or revoked your application, you can only submit a new application after the reasons for your inadmissibility have been removed.
If your eTA application is denied or revoked, therefore, rather don’t apply again. Instead, first, try to resolve the reasons that led to this.
Your best option, if you want to make sure that you can still visit Canada, is to instead apply for a TRP or Temporary Residence Permit. With a TRP you will be allowed to enter Canada for a specific reason at a specific time. This could, e.g., include attending a family marriage, funeral, or other important event such as a business meeting.
The fee for processing TRP is currently CAD$239.75. You can submit an application at your nearest Canadian consulate or embassy, or, if you will be traveling by air, land, or sea when you arrive at the Canadian port of entry.
Where you decide to apply could affect both the processing time and the probability of success. If you decide to apply for a TRP when you arrive at the port of entry, you will save yourself a significant amount of time since your application will be processed right there and then.
The alternative is not as attractive: If you apply at a Canadian consulate or embassy it can take anything from four to six months for it to be processed.
Please note that a TRP can remain valid for as little as one day or as long as 3 years, depending on the specific circumstances. The good news is that if you are successful with your TRP application, you will not need an eTA to enter Canada.
The alternative is Criminal Rehabilitation, which requires that you wait until at least 5 years after the completion of your sentence. The process involves petitioning the Canadian government for the removal of your criminal inadmissibility
Whether or not you will qualify for this depends on the crime or crimes you have been found guilty of as well as the sentence you received.
A Criminal Rehabilitation application comes with a processing fee starting from CAD$239.75. It can also take more than a year to be processed.
Once the Canadian authorities make a decision, you will be informed in writing. If you are successful, they will wipe your record clean – at least for the purposes of Canadian immigration.
It is, however, crucial to be aware that even if your application is successful, you will still have to apply for an eTA before visiting Canada.
How many people are actually denied entry into the country because of this?
Even though Canadians are generally speaking very friendly, they don’t take border security lightly. According to the Canadian government, in 2024, about 100,000 people were denied entry into Canada. This number can vary depending on several factors, such as the global political climate and the economic conditions in Canada.
In 2021, for example, the number of people denied entry to Canada was 67,000. Thus 2024, has shown there was an increase. Whether this continues in 2025 and beyond remains to be seen.
We recommend that people who have criminal records should address their inadmissibility by applying for a TRP or Temporary Residence Permit before booking a trip to Canada and applying for an eTA.
Because of the significant processing time involved with a TRP application, it is important to do this as long as possible before you plan to travel to Canada.
Can’t I just fake it and travel to Canada without an eTA or TRP?
When the Canadian authorities implemented the eTA program, they also implemented an IAPI or Interactive Advance Passport Information system that enables the government to check with the different airlines whether or not someone who needs an eTA has in fact been issued one.
If you should attempt to board a plane that is on its way to Canada without an approved eTA, you won’t get much further than the gate. Thousands of prospective visitors to Canada from across the world are informed every year that they can not board their flights without an eTA.
In many of these cases, the individual isn’t even criminally inadmissible to visit Canada. He or she might simply not have had sufficient time to upload the additional documentation that was requested by the authorities, or the latter didn’t have enough time to review it. It is, therefore, always better to submit an eTA application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.