Originally Posted by
garykung
I double checked. There is indeed a China Transit program for transit between HKG-Canada-U.S or vice versa. So OP could potential qualify.
But my concern is on TIMATIC because TIMATIC is still saying it is a problem.
Given this:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cath...ver-rules.html
Beside -
A Canadian Transit Visa costs $0.
I don't think OP should risk it. Simply get a transit visa and call it a day.
I still don't think OP's itin qualifies as the arriving time of CX 889 arrives around midnight in Vancover, and one of the requirements of the visa free transit is:
"arrive during business hours (hours may vary at each airport) for the preclearance area run by United States Customs and Border Protection
if you arrive outside of these hours, you will no longer qualify under this program. You will have to go to the Canada Border Services Agency to be screened. You should check your flight connections with the airline."
IIRC CBP at YVR is closed around 8pm.
Also, this particular flight does not depart from the U.S. bound terminal, so I am not sure if CBP is available.