maaxx.ca

MANILA, Philippines — The Canadian Embassy in the Philippines announced Wednesday that some Filipinos can now enter their country by air without a visa.

For Filipino citizens to be eligible for visa-free entry, they must have held a Canadian visa within the last 10 years or currently hold a valid U.S. non-immigrant visa.

Instead of applying for a visa, these eligible Filipinos will simply apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), a digital travel document that most visa-exempt travelers need to travel or transit through Canada by air.

Canadian authorities use the eTA to carry out light pre-travel screening of air travelers.

It costs C$7 (around P293) to apply for an eTA and the Canadian Embassy says most applications are automatically approved within minutes.

To apply for an eTA, all you need is a valid passport, a credit card, an email address and access to the Internet, specifies the Canadian embassy.

Once approved, Filipino visitors can stay in Canada for up to six months for business or leisure.

Visa-free entry to Canada for eligible Filipinos is only applicable for air travel, so those traveling by land or sea must still obtain a visitor visa.

“A growing friendship” between nations

Sean Fraser, Canadian Minister of Immigration, said the decision to relax visa requirements for Filipinos will make traveling to their country more convenient, increase travel, tourism and economic benefits, and strengthen their ties with the Philippines.

“Canada is a destination of choice for many people around the world. “We are making it easier for more people to visit Canada, whether they come for business, tourism or to reunite with family and friends,” said Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly.

Joly added that expanding the eTA program to include the Philippines is a key part of their strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, in which they want to become more involved, strengthen connections between people and make travel to Canada more easier, faster and easier. safer.

Enrique Manalo, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary, called the Philippines’ inclusion in the eTA program “an important milestone and a striking indication of Canada’s growing friendship and confidence in the Philippines.”

“The Philippines views Canada as a close partner due to its well-established people-to-people ties and looks forward to ushering in a new era of engagement under this new policy,” Manalo said.