The vast majority of travellers need either an eTA or a visa to visit Ottawa in Canada. This applies even if you just want to transit via a Canadian airport. Which one of the two you will have to apply for depends on the following factors:
- your nationality
- the country by which your travel document was issued
- the kind of travel document you intend to travel with
- how you will arrive in Canada, e.g. by air, land, or sea
Note: Without the right documents, for example, a visa or an eTA, your trip might be delayed, or you might not be allowed to board a flight to Canada.
Do I Qualify to Apply for a Canadian eTA?
A Canadian eTA is reserved for people from countries that take part in the eTA program and are, therefore, on the visa-exempt list. Apart from the fact that your country has to be on the exempt list, you will personally also have to meet certain criteria in order to qualify for an eTA.
If your country is not on the eTA list or you are for some or other reason denied an eTA, you will have to apply for a visa to visit Ottawa (or anywhere else in Canada).
My Country is on The Exempt List. What Can Disqualify Me From Getting an eTA?
- You can not use an eTA to enter Canada by any other means than an aircraft.
- You should first get yourself an electronic passport.
- You should not have been refused entry into Canada for any reason in the past.
- If you have been deported from Canada in the past, your eTA application will most likely not be successful.
- You should not have a criminal history involving causing serious damage to someone else’s property.
- You should not have been found guilty of causing serious physical harm to another person.
What Does the Application Process for a Canadian eTA Involve?
To start the online application process for an eTA, make sure that you have your employment and passport details ready. Allow around 20 minutes to complete the application. In the vast majority of cases, your application will be processed within a few minutes.
In case the automated screening system flags your application for human review, however, the process can take significantly longer. You will then be asked to upload additional documentation or to provide more information about something before the application can be processed. If you fail to comply with this request in a timely fashion, your application will most likely be rejected.
What Can an eTA Be Used For And What is Not Allowed?
For Tourism
The vast majority of applicants use their approved eTA for tourism. This includes activities like going on sightseeing trips or visiting family and friends in Canada.
For Transit Purposes
Once you have an approved Canadian eTA, you can also use it to switch to another flight while you are on your way to a destination outside Canada.
Specific Business Purposes
You can also use an approved eTA for certain business purposes. This, for example, includes meeting with your business associates in that country, negotiating a business deal, or settling an estate. You can also attend business meetings while you are in Canada. In that case, however, you might be requested to provide documentary proof that your primary source of income is not from within Canada and that your employer is also not based in that country when you apply for the eTA or when you arrive in the country.
An approved eTA also allows you to attend a business conference while in Canada. If this is the purpose of our visit, the Canadian immigration staff might ask you to provide proof that you are not already employed in Canada or looking for employment in that country.
What Would Constitute The Illegal Use of an eTA?
It should be clear from the above that an eTA can be used for a variety of legal purposes. There are, however, also a couple of things one can’t legally do while visiting Canada with this type of authorization.
You will, for example, break the law if you work in that country with an eTA. As mentioned earlier, an eTA can be used for various business purposes, but you are not allowed to obtain or hold a job in Canada with an eTA. If you want to do that, you have to apply for a work visa. This is true for both full-time, part-time, and temporary employment. If you get paid for the work, you need a work visa.
You are also not allowed to study in Canada while visiting that country with an eTA. In that case, you need to apply for a Canadian student visa.
For Those Who Do Not Qualify For an eTA: Getting a Canadian Visa
If your country is not on the visa-exempt list and you are not a citizen of the United States, you will have to apply for a visa to visit Ottawa or anywhere else in Canada. There are a number of different types of visas. Let’s take a closer look.
Canadian Tourist Visa
This is also often referred to as a TRV or Temporary Resident Visa. Similar to an eTA, you can also submit an online application – but if you prefer, you can use a paper-based application form. Please be aware that a visa application involves providing more information than is the case with an eTA and the processing time is also longer.
Canadian Work Permit
If you intend to work in Canada, either permanently or temporarily, you will first have to apply for an eTA or a visa. Then you will also have to apply for a work permit. Before applying for the latter, you should typically already have received a job offer from an employer in Canada. This requirement is sometimes waived, depending on the type of work or your profession.
As is the case for a visa application, you can also submit a paper application for a work permit, or you can apply online. As part of the application process, you will have to declare that you will not work for any other employer than the one that has offered you the current job and that you intend to leave the country when your employment term with that employer comes to an end.
Canadian Study Permit
In certain respects, study permits and work permits are similar. When applying for a study permit, you should also already have an eTA or a visa. Everyone who wants to study in Canada needs a study permit, except those who will be attending preschool.
Once again, you can submit a printed or online application. You also have to commit yourself to leaving the country when your studies come to an end. The only exception is if you get a job offer and a work permit before the end of your studies. You must also provide proof that you have sufficient financial resources to cover your living costs while in Canada.
Ottawa Tourist Information
Not only is Canada a very large country (it can take over a week to drive from one side to the next, without even stopping to see most of the major tourist spots) but it’s also a geographically and culturally diverse country.
In fact, this is the second-biggest country in the world in terms of area. It offers amazingly diverse natural beauty, including everything from glaciers to rainforests, beaches, and mountains. The climate in Ontario is, for example, relatively temperate, and the majority of cities that lie within 125 miles of the American border have quite hot (but fairly short) summers.
Ontario also has the most tourist sites and the biggest population. It is also the country’s most multicultural region and contains Niagara Falls and Ottawa, as well as large areas with stunning natural beauty.
Ottawa is a bilingual city and an amazing place to visit, regardless of the time of year. It has many impressive galleries, museums, and exhibitions. And the surrounding countryside with its mountains, forests, and valleys is a paradise for nature lovers.
Tourists can enter Canada by road, sea, or air from the United States. Except for the major cities, exploring the country is, however, best done by car. Renting a motor home will give you the most flexibility when it comes to making travel plans. In the bigger cities, however, using public transport is probably your best option.
As far as safety is concerned, Canada is a relatively safe place for tourists, although like everywhere else, one has to use common sense when deciding where to walk around alone after midnight and where not to.
When it comes to medical treatment and hospitals, it’s important to be aware that Canada doesn’t offer free healthcare for visitors. In fact, treatment might be refused if you are unable to prove that you have sufficient health insurance. Before your arrival, you should, therefore, seriously consider taking out travel health insurance.