Canada postpones e-borders plan for a second time

The Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) scheme has led to a number of scam websites

Canada’s attempt to introduce mandatory “e-borders” system for overseas visitors has been postponed for a second time. The Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) scheme was originally planned to become compulsory for travellers from Britain and other countries in March. The date was deferred until 30 September after IT issues threatened to wreck holidaymakers’ plans.

Now the government in Ottawa says the eTA will not become mandatory until 10 November.

John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said: “We are extending the leniency period and doing another major information blitz in Canada and abroad to encourage affected travellers, including dual Canadian citizens, to plan ahead and get the necessary travel documents before they book a flight to Canada.”

The eTA scheme mirrors the US “Esta” programme, though with less onerous demands for information, and validity of five years, not two. It costs C$7, around £4.

As with the early days of the Esta, the system hit teething problems. The Canadian government says: “Close to 2 million eTAs have been issued since the application went live.” But numerous prospective British visitors contacted The Independent to say that their applications had been inexplicably delayed or rejected.

Canada does not admit visitors who are considered a security risk, or convicted of a serious crime, or with financial or health problems. But a common issue appears to be that people who declared trivial offences, such as for motoring misdemeanours, were told they were inadmissable. Other prospective visitors with no convictions were also rejected.

The travel desk of The Independent has been advising readers travelling to Canada before the eTA becomes mandatory not to apply for the document, to eliminate the small risk that they might be unfairly declined.

The introduction of the eTA coincides with a surge in the number of flights between the UK and Canada, which has led to a fares war between airlines and a consequent increase in interest in the country.

Some readers have reported being scammed by websites that pay search engines to appear top of the results listings. One such site, based in the Central American nation of Belize, charges €89 (£76) - nearly 20 times the official fee at canada.ca/eTA.