Some Filipino travelers can now enter Canada without applying for a regular visitor visa, following the Philippines’ inclusion in Canada’s visa-free travel program under specific conditions.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Philippine passport holders may now travel to Canada using an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) instead of a traditional visitor visa.
However, it clarified that the visa-free option does not apply to all Filipinos and is subject to strict eligibility requirements.
Eligible travelers may apply for an eTA at a significantly reduced cost of $7 CAD, compared to the standard $100 CAD visitor visa fee, which amounts to around ₱300. But the case is that to obtain eTA, one should be a “known traveler,” meaning individuals with prior travel history to Canada or the United States (US)
First-time travelers who have never held a Canadian or US visa are not eligible for the eTA and must still go through the regular visa application process.
In addition to travel history, applicants must meet specific travel conditions, including the eTA may only be used for air travel, and Filipino travelers must be flying into or transiting through a Canadian airport to qualify, as the eTA does not apply to land or sea entry.
To be eligible, travelers must also meet at least one of the following requirements: they must have held a Canadian visitor visa within the past 10 years or possess a valid US non-immigrant visa.
Canadian authorities emphasized that the eTA only simplifies entry requirements and does not guarantee admission, as final entry decisions remain with border officials upon arrival.
