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AC: Feds need to do more to warn travellers about Electronic Travel Authority (eTA)

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AC: Feds need to do more to warn travellers about Electronic Travel Authority (eTA)

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Old Jan 3, 2017, 11:13 am
  #151  
 
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Originally Posted by ffsim
Huh?

I'm Canadian-born, so I naturally have Canadian citizenship. I also have citizenship from an EU country by jus sanguinis. Considering you understand that there are some countries where you cannot relinquish citizenship and considering the meaning of jus sanguinis, how can you not see that this is indeed an issue for certain Canadian citizens?
Meaning when you are a Canadian citizen, you only travel on the Canadian passport. You relinquish all other citizenships. (There are some where you cannot relinquish at all, even if you want to.)
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Old Jan 3, 2017, 1:35 pm
  #152  
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Originally Posted by tomvancouver
I had an allied issue recently. I had booked my 86yo mother in law to stay with us for Xmas from the UK, and I applied for an ETA on her behalf, using her passport and other details that she had given me to do so. The ETA was approved within minutes.

However, at check in at LHR there was a probelm. I don't know precisely what happened, but she said that the ETA was not there, and a check in agent away to an office for 10 minutes before returning and processing her with no further problem. Shortly after I received a confirmation that her ETA "remains approved. You remain authorized to travel to Canada by air." through the email address that I had used to apply for her ETA several months earlier. If she hadn't been in J then I can imagine the gate agent would not have been available to sort out whatever the problem was.

Has anyone else applied for an ETA on behalf of another traveller and either had problems or not?
From my experience the problem is that AC doesn't seem to know who has a ETA and who doesn't. My wife and I transited through Montreal from Geneva and were asked at least 3 times by AC staff if we had an ETA. I was pretty certain that we did, but by the end I was getting pretty twitchy about whether something had gone wrong and the ETA had disappeared. I imagine your mother-in-law was asked as well and said no/not sure hence the next confirmation step.

I really don't understand how they could have set up a system like this where AC can't check on the status of the ETA electronically before check-in.
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Old Jan 4, 2017, 12:12 pm
  #153  
 
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Originally Posted by karachi
Meaning when you are a Canadian citizen, you only travel on the Canadian passport. You relinquish all other citizenships. (There are some where you cannot relinquish at all, even if you want to.)
That's not how citizenships work. The document you travel with or without doesn't somehow alter the countries to which you belong.
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Old Jan 4, 2017, 12:26 pm
  #154  
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Originally Posted by ffsim
That's not how citizenships work. The document you travel with or without doesn't somehow alter the countries to which you belong.
++++

And if you can manage to get to Canadian port-of-entry without your passport/NEXUS card such as losing your documents after boarding/before you get to CBSA inspections (that does happen in garbage cans, back of airline seats, etc), Canada does NOT require a document to prove citizenship on entry (I have previously posted links on the relevant legislation).

An oral declaration of Canadian citizenship is sufficient, may take some additional time for CBSA to verify who you are, but can be done - so the requirement to spend on a Cdn passport/NEXUS card technically only arises because other countries will NOT let you arrive in the first place.

And airlines are really cautious about all this because of the big fines for delivering inadmissable non-residents.
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Old Jan 4, 2017, 7:58 pm
  #155  
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So the nightmare stories continue

Also, note the comments re airline employees

"Electronic travel authorization program trips up permanent residents"

CBC - Jan 4 2017

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront...ents-1.3921448
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Old Jan 4, 2017, 8:47 pm
  #156  
 
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Originally Posted by 24left
So the nightmare stories continue

Also, note the comments re airline employees

"Electronic travel authorization program trips up permanent residents"

CBC - Jan 4 2017

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront...ents-1.3921448
From the article:

They didn't fill out the form because the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website said they didn't need to. The website clearly states that travellers "do not need an eTA if you are a permanent resident of Canada."

Barabash said he contacted Canada Border Services Agency to clarify.

"They told me they don't know what is on the [IRCC] website," said Barabash. "Their policy is that eTA is required."
1. Even the government doesn't seem to know the rules

2. If the airline in question (not named) did in fact deny bordering despite PR card being presented... they should pay IDB compensation and of course refund the original fare.
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Old Jan 4, 2017, 10:41 pm
  #157  
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Originally Posted by eigenvector
From the article:


1. Even the government doesn't seem to know the rules

2. If the airline in question (not named) did in fact deny bordering despite PR card being presented... they should pay IDB compensation and of course refund the original fare.
What does TIMITAC say about this?

CTA has routinely denied compensation claims when airlines demonstrate that plain reading of TIM indicates NO BOARD decision.

Here is good example of where travelers need to bypass CTA and go directly to CIC/CBSA and complain.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/com-eng.html

And be prepared to take an inadequate /bureacratic response directly to their local MP - media will also follow-up if traveler can get response from CBSA/CIC in writing.

Good luck to travelers to get this resolved.

And let's not blame airlines/demand compensation to early here.
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Old Jan 4, 2017, 10:44 pm
  #158  
 
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Originally Posted by skybluesea
What does TIMITAC say about this?

CTA has routinely denied compensation claims when airlines demonstrate that plain reading of TIM indicates NO BOARD decision.

Here is good example of where travelers need to bypass CTA and go directly to CIC/CBSA and complain.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/com-eng.html

And be prepared to take an inadequate /bureacratic response directly to their local MP - media will also follow-up if traveler can get response from CBSA/CIC in writing.

Good luck to travelers to get this resolved.

And let's not blame airlines/demand compensation to early here.
TIMATIC correctly shows no ETA needed for PRs holding a PR card.

The article, however, is ambiguous over precisely what documentation was presented to prove PR status. If it was something other than a PR card, the airline was correct to deny boarding.
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Old Jan 4, 2017, 10:56 pm
  #159  
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Originally Posted by eigenvector
TIMATIC correctly shows no ETA needed for PRs holding a PR card.

The article, however, is ambiguous over precisely what documentation was presented to prove PR status. If it was something other than a PR card, the airline was correct to deny boarding.
agree, devil in the detail
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Old Jan 4, 2017, 11:08 pm
  #160  
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Originally Posted by eigenvector
TIMATIC correctly shows no ETA needed for PRs holding a PR card.

The article, however, is ambiguous over precisely what documentation was presented to prove PR status. If it was something other than a PR card, the airline was correct to deny boarding.
In other instances, apparently it is because agents wrongly checked requirements for US permanent residents.

In this instance, AC should absolutely be on the hook.

In contrast with most cases where either the TA did not inform the passenger, or if the ticket was purchased directly with AC, the traveller did not read the big note on the itinerary.
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Old Jan 4, 2017, 11:54 pm
  #161  
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Originally Posted by skybluesea
What does TIMITAC say about this?

CTA has routinely denied compensation claims when airlines demonstrate that plain reading of TIM indicates NO BOARD decision.
.
luckily, as this happened in the EU -- which has previously required airlines to pay IDB compensation to pax incorrectly denied boarding over similar issues -- they could seek redress there
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Old Jan 5, 2017, 12:05 am
  #162  
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Originally Posted by pewpew
luckily, as this happened in the EU -- which has previously required airlines to pay IDB compensation to pax incorrectly denied boarding over similar issues -- they could seek redress there
ah yes, forgot about 261 - but should this compensation NOT really come from the federal government if they are providing mixed information to the traveling public.

Why should AC shareholders face such costs if they acted in good faith, but were given the wrong information and acted accordingly?
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Old Jan 5, 2017, 4:45 am
  #163  
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Originally Posted by eigenvector
From the article:


1. Even the government doesn't seem to know the rules

2. If the airline in question (not named) did in fact deny bordering despite PR card being presented... they should pay IDB compensation and of course refund the original fare.
apparently (according to some guy on Reddit) they used their confirmation of PR status, not their actual PR card
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Old Jan 5, 2017, 6:02 am
  #164  
 
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Actually one is allowed to enter Canada by air (and aircraft) on a paper confirmation, but that's iff its unconfirmed. It's like a single entry document... but I have my doubts many airlines realize this. It is buried in the CIC website.

Once it's been used however, a PR card it is. And interestingly I've not even needed my passport after getting on the plane, you clear immigration on just the card - and thus includes both kiosk and actual agent entry. I wonder if one can checkin with just the card.
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Old Jan 5, 2017, 8:40 am
  #165  
 
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Originally Posted by jc94
Actually one is allowed to enter Canada by air (and aircraft) on a paper confirmation, but that's iff its unconfirmed.
Indeed, and even if you are living in Canada when you receive your confirmation of PR status, you are required to leave the country and formalize your status at the border on your return. People who are travelling to immigrate are going to get caught in this tangle.
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