The eTA is a travel approval document that aims to provide an easier and faster alternative than a visa for people who want to visit Canada. To qualify, you have to be a citizen of a visa-exempt country.
Despite the fact that applying for an eTA is much easier and quicker than applying for a visa, the eTA application form nevertheless has a few sections that must be answered in full and without making mistakes. Because you can’t fill out the online application form in more than one sitting, your best option is to first familiarize yourself with the questions you have to answer before you start.
In the rest of this article we will go through the eTA questions one by one and explain what you have to know if you want to answer them correctly. While you are reading, it’s a good idea to compile a list of the documents you have to get ready and the information you are going to need. Once you have all of these, filling out the Canadian eTA application form should be easier and quicker.
Is the application on behalf of somebody else?
This is a very straightforward question. Are you applying for an eTA for yourself, or for somebody else? If you want to apply for yourself and your whole family, you have to do it one by one. You can’t apply for more than one person at a time.
If you answer ‘yes’ to this question, your next step will be to answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the question whether the application is on behalf of child who is still a minor. Let’s assume you want to apply on behalf of your own minor child. You will then be taken to the Parent/Guardian or representative section where you have to provide certain details about yourself. Once you’ve completed this part of the form, you will be taken back to the main application form. You can proceed by entering your child’s details.
If you are getting paid to fill out the form on behalf of someone else (other than your child), you should answer ‘yes’ to the first question and ‘no’ where it asks whether you are applying on behalf of a minor child. You must then proceed by providing your surname and given name. If you belong to an organization, you have to enter the name of the organization, as well as the mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and email address.
Once you’ve completed this part of the form, you have to sign (electronically) a declaration where you, as the representative, states that you correctly filled out the eTA application form to the best of your knowledge, and that you were appointed to submit the application on behalf of somebody else. Before you continue, make sure to check both boxes.
What travel documents do you intend to use to visit Canada?
Here you have to select the kind of travel document you will be using to enter Canada from a dropdown menu with nine different options. If you are uncertain about which type of document you have, first make sure before proceeding. You also have to choose the code that corresponds with the one on your passport. Then go to the dropdown menu where you must choose your passport country. Once you’ve made a choice, a new message will appear.
By which country was your passport issued?
Go to your passport’s information page. Here will will find the right three-letter code.
What nationality is noted on your passport?
In this section there is another dropdown menu where you have to choose your nationality. If you are a citizen of Taiwan or Israel, you will be required to answer a couple of additional questions.
Nationals of Taiwan have to answer these questions:
– For this particular journey, will you be using a passport that was issued by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that includes your personal ID number?
– What is your Taiwan personal ID number (personal identification number)
Nationals of Israel have to answer these questions:
– Choose the country code that corresponds to the one shown on your passport
– For this visit, will you be using an Israeli national passport?
Once you have selected your nationality, you have to enter your passport number.
Are you a legal permanent resident of the United States and do you have a valid Green Card?
Choose ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from the dropdown menu. If you choose ‘no’, you do not qualify to get an eTA.
This questions only relates to nationals of countries that are not on Canada’s visa-exempt list. If the name of your country is on that list, there is no need for you to answer this question and you will qualify to apply for a Canadian eTA.
If you choose ‘yes’ the next question will show on the screen:
Green Card Number: Enter your Green Card number in this field. You also have to enter the card’s expiration date.
Nationality – If you’re uncertain about this, go to your passport’s information page where you will find the correct information.
Applicant’s passport details: Here you have to enter all the relevant details from your passport. You will will most of these details on your passport’s information page. If you can’t find something there, just answer to the best of your knowledge.
– Passport number: You will find this at the top of the page where your picture is.
– Surname Enter your last name precisely as it is shown on your passport.
– Given name: Enter your first name and your middle name exactly as shown on your passport.
– Date of birth: The year, month, and day you were born.
– Gender: Choose the right gender from the dropdown menu.
– Country where you were born: Enter the name of the country you were born exactly as it is shown on your passport.
– City where you were born: Enter the name of your city of birth.
– Date your passport was issued: Take care not to make a mistake here.
– Expiry date of your passport: Enter your passport’s expiration date here. While you are busy with this: if your passport expires soon it’s best to apply for a new one before you submit an eTA application. The eTA will expire with your passport.
Applicant’s personal information
In this section you have to enter the following details:
– The country in which you have citizenship. This will normally be the same as the country that issued your passport.
– Your marital status. This dropdown menu has seven options. Choose the one that best describes your situation.
– Have you in the past applied for an eTA or visa to enter Canada. Choose ‘no’ or ‘yes’ from the dropdown menu.
– Unique Client Identifier (UCI) or Previous Canadian permit or visa number. If you have ever visited Canada in the past, you have hopefully kept a record of this number. If you have been employed in Canada before but you did not get a number, enter your visitor, study, or work permit number.
Employment details/information
More than one question in this part of the form use a dropdown menu. The employment section is quite important because Canadian immigration uses your financial situation as one of the determinants when they have to decide whether you will be allowed into Canada or not.
– Occupation: Use the dropdown menu to choose your occupation.
– Job title: This is where your job description goes.
– Name of employer, company or school. This should be fairly obvious.
– Country: Here you should enter the name of the country where you are working.
– City: In this field you should enter the city where you are working.
– Since when (what year): Enter the year in which you started your current job.
Contact details/information
Make sure to check the validity of the information in the contact details section. You need a working email address if you want your application to be successfully processed.
– Preferred language: From the dropdown menu choose either French or English .
– Email address: Double-check this after entering the data. If you enter a wrong email address you will not get the authorization email sent by Canadian Immigration and you will not be able to enter Canada.
– Residential address: This is where your home address goes. Please note that a post office box number is not acceptable.
Travel information
To complete this section it is not compulsory that you should have your travel itinerary in place. If you have already bought plane tickets, however, keep the details at hand because you will need in when filling out the form.
– Do you know the dates when you will be visiting Canada? From the dropdown menu choose ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If your answer was ‘yes’ you can proceed to answer the two questions below:
– When do you intend to visit Canada? Choose the date of your arrival in Canada.
– At what time will your flight to Canada leave? If you have already bought flight tickets, choose the time that the flight to Canada will depart.
Background questions
If your answer to any of the background questions below is ‘yes’, you have to provide as much details as possible. This will help to fast track your application and prevent any possible misunderstandings.
– Have you in the past been denied entry into Canada or another country? If you choose ‘yes’ here, you should list every instance together with the name of the country and the date on which it happened.
– Have you ever committed a crime or been found guilty of a criminal offense? If you choose ‘yes’, you have to list all the offenses, together with the location, date, and the sentence you received.
– Have you or one of your family members ever been in close contact with someone who suffer from tuberculosis? If you answer ‘yes’, you also have to answer the next few questions:
– Was the contact a result of you being a health care worker? From the dropdown menu, choose either ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
– Have you at any stage been diagnosed with TB (tuberculosis)? From the dropdown menu, choose either ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
– Do you suffer from a serious medical condition for which you are being regularly treated? There is also a dropdown menu next to this question. Go though the options to check whether you suffer from any of the conditions listed and those that apply to you:
untreated syphilis
untreated alcohol/drug addiction
untreated mental health problems with psychosis.
Additional information related to your application
This field can be left blank because it is optional. You should, nevertheless, take advantage of it. If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the previous questions, this is the place where you have the opportunity to explain the circumstances. And if there is a good reason why you urgently have to visit Canada, you can also use this space to explain it.
Declaration/consent
The last step is to slowly and attentively read the consent form. Then check the box and sign it electronically. Finally, click on ‘proceed to payment’. You have to use one of the allowed methods to pay the processing fee. In the majority of cases you will receive the outcome of your application in your mailbox within a couple of minutes. But you can also check your eTA application status online whenever you want.
Conclusion
If you are submitting multiple applications on behalf of members of your travel group, try to complete all of them in a single session so you won’t accidentally skip anyone. If none of the applications you submitted is flagged for manual processing, you will usually have your approved eTA applications in your mailbox within a couple of minutes. That means you are ready to travel to Canada without further ado. Enjoy your stay in Canada.