Electronic Travel Authorization - Requirement

New Electronic Travel Authorization Requirement is effective since March 15 2016. 

If you are travelling to Canada you do need to verify if you will need Electronic Travel Autorisation.

Please note that foreign travellers who currently do not need a visa to enter Canada, will now need an eTA ( Electronic travel autorisation) to fly or transit through Canada.ETA will not be required if you are entering Canada by land or sea. The List of countries whose citizens will require an eTA:

Andorra

Antigua and Barbuda

Australia

Austria

Bahamas

Barbados

Belgium

British citizen

British overseas citizen who is re-admissible to the United Kingdom

British overseas territory citizen who derives that citizenship through birth, descent, naturalization or registration in one of the British overseas territories of: 

Anguilla

Bermuda

British Virgin Islands

Cayman Islands

Falkland Islands

Gibraltar

Montserrat

Pitcairn Island

Saint Helena

Turks and Caicos Islands

Brunei Darussalam

Chile

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Federal Republic of Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Republic of Korea

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Monaco

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Papua New Guinea

Poland

Portugal

Samoa

San Marino

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Also the following need an eTA before boarding their flight to Canada:

Persons who have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence (United States Permanent Residents).

Holder of a passport or travel document issued by the Holy

See.

Holder of a national Israeli passport.

Holder of a passport issued by the Hong Kong Spécial

Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

Holder of a passport issued by the United Kingdom to a

British National (Overseas), as a person born, naturalized or

registered in Hong Kong.

Holder of a passport issued by the United Kingdom to a

British Subject which contains the observation that the holder

has the right of abode in the United Kingdom

Holder of an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes the personal

identification number of the individual. Note: Taiwanese

citizens who hold a passport issued by the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that does not include their personal

identification number need a visa to come to Canada.

The foreign nationals who are exempt from the eTA requirent

are nationals of the United States, Citizens of France who

are residents of St. Pierre and Miquelon who are seek enter

Canada directly from St. Pierre and Miquelon, foreign

nationals who are on a flight that  makes an unscheduled

stop in Canada due to an emergency, certain transportation

crew members, accredited diplomats and members of armed

forces belonging to certain designate countries.

Canada's Express Entry Program

Under the new Express Entry program Canada saw 191,279 profiles created in a year. Of those, 31,000 were issued invitations to apply for permanent residency. Immigrants applying for low-wage, precarious jobs in Canada are being favoured over those applying for more professional positions. In its first year, the Express Entry program allowed more cooks and food workers than engineers and professors to apply.

Top 10 categories of workers invited to apply for permanent residence status under the Express Entry system are : Food service workers, Cooks, Information system analysts, Software engineers, Computer programmes, university professors and lecturers, retail sales supervisors, graphic designers and illustrators, retail sales supervisors, graphic designers and illustrators, financial auditors and accountants,

financial investment analysts.

8% — 2,256 food service supervisors

8% — 2,295 cooks

4% — 1,255 information systems analysts

3% — 940 software engineers

3% — 935 computer programmers and interactive media developers

3% — 745 university professors and lecturers

2% — 669 retail sales supervisors

2% — 550 graphic designers and illustrators

2% — 494 financial auditors and accountants

2% — 446 financial investment analyste.

NEW IMMIGRATION PROGRAM

New Immigration Program - Mobility Program stream will launch on the first day of June. It will attract skilled francophone workers to Canada and encouraging them to settle in communities outside of Quebec. 

IMMIGRATION NEWS - Province of Quebec

Province of Quebec announced that they will begin accepting new applications under Quebec Immigrant Investor Program for a limited period beginning May 30th 2016 and ending February 28th 2017.