Some visa-required passports can fly on an eTA. Land and sea still need a visitor visa.
Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines are on the same three-part test. A past eTA is not a past visitor visa.
IRCC’s eTA page for some visa-required countries allows an eTA instead of a visitor visa only when three things are all true, and only for a flight. Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines are on that list. A land or sea arrival still needs a visitor visa.
The three tests are the same for every country on the list
You are eligible to apply for an eTA only if you meet all three. You have held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years, or you hold a US nonimmigrant visa that is valid on the day you apply. You are coming for a temporary stay, which IRCC describes as normally up to 6 months. You are flying to or transiting through a Canadian airport on a valid passport from an eligible country. Fail one and the application is a visitor visa.
IRCC’s Mexico page adds the line people miss: having held an eTA in the past 10 years is not the same as having held a Canadian visitor visa. The February 29, 2024 news release is the Mexico change: air travel on a Mexican passport, with a valid US nonimmigrant visa or a Canadian visa in the past 10 years. The apply page dates Indonesia and Malaysia: as of May 26, 2026, citizens who meet the requirements may apply for an eTA instead of a visitor visa to travel by air. The eligibility list marks those two “new.” The Philippines is on the same list and uses the same three tests. A Philippine funds refusal, if you are in the visitor-visa stream, is still the DTI, SEC, and BIR page.
Air is the only mode an eTA covers
IRCC says an eTA is for air travel only. Car, bus, train, and boat, including a cruise ship even if you do not leave the ship, need a visitor visa. A person who qualifies for the eTA and then changes the trip to a land border has changed the document, not just the route.
A Nigerian, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Ghanaian, Cameroonian, Kenyan, or Chinese passport is not on that eTA list. Those files remain visitor visas. The leave-Canada test does not relax because a neighbouring country can use an eTA.
Canada eTA or visitor visa FAQ
What three things does IRCC require before a citizen of a listed visa-required country can apply for an eTA?
IRCC’s page for citizens of some visa-required countries says you must meet all three: you have held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years or you currently hold a valid US nonimmigrant visa; you are coming for a temporary stay, normally up to 6 months; and you are flying to or transiting through a Canadian airport on a valid passport from an eligible country. The US visa has to be valid on the day you apply for the eTA. It does not have to be valid on the day you fly.
Does a past Canadian eTA count as a Canadian visitor visa held in the last 10 years?
No. IRCC’s Mexico page says having held an eTA in the past 10 years is not the same as having held a Canadian visitor visa.
If I qualify for an eTA, can I drive or take a cruise to Canada?
No. The same page says an eTA is for air travel only. Travel by car, bus, train, or boat, including a cruise ship, needs a visitor visa even if you do not leave the ship.
When did Indonesia and Malaysia join that eTA list?
IRCC’s eTA apply page says that as of May 26, 2026, citizens of Indonesia and Malaysia who meet the requirements may apply for an eTA instead of a visitor visa to travel to Canada by air. The eligibility page marks both countries as new on the visa-required list that already included Mexico and the Philippines.
Watch the questions, the analysis, and the evidence
Check out this video to learn about answering a number of questions, get free analysis and personalized evidences for your application.
8 major factors Canada visa officer checks
| Officer checks | What they may look at |
|---|---|
Why Canada? Tourism, family visit, event, business, etc.; itinerary; duration; whether the activities make sense | Why Canada? Tourism, family visit, event, business, etc.; itinerary; duration; whether the activities make sense |
Employment, business, property, spouse, children, family responsibilities, studies, other obligations | Employment, business, property, spouse, children, family responsibilities, studies, other obligations |
Job stability, position, salary, length of employment, approved leave, business ownership and activity | Job stability, position, salary, length of employment, approved leave, business ownership and activity |
Bank balances, transaction history, income, savings, source of funds, ability to pay for the trip and return | Bank balances, transaction history, income, savings, source of funds, ability to pay for the trip and return |
Family remaining in the home country versus relatives/family in Canada; overall circumstances | Family remaining in the home country versus relatives/family in Canada; overall circumstances |
Previous international travel, visas, compliance with previous visits, previous Canadian/US/UK/Schengen travel, etc. | Previous international travel, visas, compliance with previous visits, previous Canadian/US/UK/Schengen travel, etc. |
Previous refusals, overstays, unauthorized work/study, removals, previous applications and information provided | Previous refusals, overstays, unauthorized work/study, removals, previous applications and information provided |
Criminality, security, medical/financial inadmissibility, misrepresentation, and whether the information/documents are consistent and credible | Criminality, security, medical/financial inadmissibility, misrepresentation, and whether the information/documents are consistent and credible |
What is ImmigrationDM?
ImmigrationDM makes it easy to respond to a Canada visitor visa refusal.
You can use the Refusal Analysis to read the officer's reasons and see the missing paper. It asks about country, purpose, funds, and home ties, then you paste the letter. You get the concerns in order and the documents that prove each claim.
The free checkers test the money side of the file before you submit. The Source of Funds Checker shows whether the file explains where the money came from. The Trip Cost Checker compares the trip you typed with the balance you typed.
No matter where you are after a Canada visitor visa refusal, ImmigrationDM is here to help you prepare the next file.
Tools to help with a stronger application
Same checkers as the tool pages. They run on what you type.
Source of Funds Checker
Trip Cost Checker
Canada immigration laws
The consolidated Act and Regulations on Justice Laws. IRPA 34 to 42 is the on-site grounds page.
- IRPR — Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
- IRPR 179 — temporary resident visa
- IRPR 180 — a visa is not entry
- IRPR 180.1 — cancelling a visa
- IRPR 183 — how long the stay lasts
- IRPR 30 — medical examination
- IRPA — Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
- IRPA 11(1) — the examination
- IRPA 20(1)(b) — leave at the end of the stay
- IRPA 22(2) — dual intent
- IRPA 39 — financial inadmissibility
- IRPA 40 — misrepresentation
- IRPA 34 to 42 — inadmissibility grounds
GCMS notes versus officer decision notes
The decision note comes with the refusal letter. GCMS notes are the rest of the file.
GCMS notes vs officer decision notesWhich applications get the note with the letter, from which date, and when you still request the file.Read the guideInadmissible grounds
IRPA sections 34 to 42 are the grounds. A letter that cites IRPR 179(b) is a different test.
Canada inadmissibility groundsSecurity through an inadmissible family member, and why a standard visitor refusal is not that finding.Read the guideOther Canada visitor visa immigration resources
These pages cover the refusal letter, the money, the ties, and the papers that change by country.
How to read the refusal letter
The letter cites IRPR 179(b) when the officer wasn't satisfied you'll leave Canada. Read the factors under that line before you apply again.
Read the guideWhat to change before you pay again
Match each factor on the letter to the document that answers it. Sending the same file again rarely changes the result.
Read the guideYou can reapply. There is no waiting period.
IRCC doesn't set a cooling-off period. The next officer already has the refused file, so the new one has to be different.
Read the guideWhen a lump does not match income
A large closing balance doesn't show where the money came from, whether you can use it, or whether income continues.
Read the guideWhat weak ties means
The officer is saying the file doesn't prove you will go home. This page shows how officers measure ties.
Read the guideThe reasons behind most refusals
Travel history, ties, purpose, and funds are different officer concerns. Each phrase on the letter points at different paper.
Read the guideHow to reapply in 2026
This page covers the 2026 reapplication rules, GCMS notes, and the order of a resubmission.
Read the guideCanada visitor visa from Nigeria
Processing time, fees in naira, and the CAC and FIRS papers a Nigerian business file uses.
Read the guideA graduation visit refused three times
A Nigerian sibling case: the officer note, the source-of-funds gap, and what the next file had to add.
Read the guide
Documents after a refusal, by country
- Documents that answer a India refusal
- Documents that answer a Nigeria refusal
- Documents that answer a Philippines refusal
- Documents that answer a Pakistan refusal
- Documents that answer a Ghana refusal
- Documents that answer a Bangladesh refusal
- Documents that answer a Cameroon refusal
- Documents that answer a China refusal
- Documents that answer a Kenya refusal
- Documents that answer a Singapore refusal
Related
If the answer is a visitor visa, the file is still IRPR 179.
An eTA is a different application. A visitor visa is still a finding that you will leave.
Read the leave-Canada test →Sources
- IRCC — eTA for citizens from some visa-required countries, including the three requirements and the country list
- IRCC — eTA how to apply, May 26, 2026 eligibility for some citizens of Indonesia and Malaysia
- IRCC — news release, February 29, 2024, Mexican citizens, US nonimmigrant visa or a Canadian visa in the past 10 years, air only
- IRCC — Mexico eTA page: a past eTA is not a past visitor visa, and land or sea still needs a visitor visa
General information from the regulation and IRCC’s public pages. Not legal advice. Not a prediction of a visa decision.