UA Award ticket via AC/YYZ w/o Canadian Visa
 

Wow, seems like I messed up. I sprung for a ticket for a Peruvian friend of mine to visit me. She applied for a US visa and managed to get one, but without thinking, I booked an award ticket via Air Canada. I'm just not used to having to think about these things for myself and so I made the error of assuming she'd be fine transiting wherever. However, after just searching it now, it seems like she'd need to apply for a transit visa to fly through YYZ. Is that right? If so, that's probably not going to happen in time for a July 15th flight

I guess that means it'll be necessary to change the ticket. What's the best way to move forward for this to minimize costs? Would United take pity and open availability on a UA flight via Houston? What are the chances of UA award availability opening up the day before? Or Should I hold the ticket until a few hours before the flight and how there's a cancellation/delay that'll allow for a free change? What would that even look like?

I might be wrong, but a friend of mine just had the same issue via Canada and bought the tourist transit visa in YYZ for a small fee.

That's great news! Can you maybe tell me what nationality he is? Was it a low/middle income country like Peru? I'm worried that a person from Peru might not given the same opportunity as someone from say, Europe!

canada does have transit visa but i dont know if peru is in the list of countries that qualify for this. the problem is that lately they require the same arsenal of biometric stuff (Fingerprint etc) so this adds to the cost, I suggest your friend makes a quick call to the consulate and asks, the fact that the flight is on air canada does help

You routed her to from Lima to Houston by way of Toronto? I wouldn't do that to an enemy, much less a friend. That's an extra 2,000 miles or so in the air, plus with having to go through Canadian immigration and customs.

Even with a transit visa, she will go through US Immigration and Customs in Toronto.

Here is some more info - https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...sit/apply.html

OP's profile lists OAK, so I'm guessing LIM-YYZ-SFO. IAH was suggested as an alternate routing that UA might provide. LIM-YYZ-SFO is "only" 1200 miles longer than the flight through IAH would be.

Although, LIM-YYZ is Rouge, so...

Lol, some people don't mind flying you know! At the time it was a Monday flight on AC or Wed on Copa, she chose the former and we didn't realize she might need a transit visa.

Does that help? I don't see why she'd need to exit the airport in this case. The next segment is directly to the US. What I'm afraid of is that they might not let her on the plane.

Don't ask here - as alluded to above, the passenger needs to call the Canadian consulate and check the Canadian immigration website to verify what she needs. I have never heard of a "visa on arrival" for any category of traveler to Canada - they are just as strict as the USA for requiring proper documentation.

There is a sterile transit process at YYZ for flights from outside Canada to the USA - she will enter the airport with everyone else, but follow the signs for concourse F - USA Flights - and go into the pre-clearance area directly for processing for her outbound flight. A Canadian document of some sort will be needed for her to board the flight in Peru, because if something happens to her USA flight at YYZ, she will need to be admissible into Canada for an overnight stay or rebooking via another route, etc.

No, it doesn't help. You're correct that AC won't let her on the plane without a valid visa. They'll go by what's in TIMATIC: visa required.

There's nothing on the Immigration Canada website about transit visa on arrival, nor is that an option listed in TIMATIC (at least for Peruvians). There is a TWOV program, but Peru isn't included; it's limited to Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, or Taiwan.

Which is reason enough to change the ticket - 8+ hours in Rouge is beyond unimaginable. If I can quote Marlon Brando, "the horror....the horror".

It's like 8 hours on Ryanair, only worse.

Peruvian citizens do need a transit visa (Based on what I've heard before)
They are not always fast to issue. So you are out of time likely, but she can call the consulate to confirm.
I would call United and request alternative routing. It is highly likely she would be denied boarding.

I think this is wrong. I never know Canada has such thing as (tourist) transit visa on arrival.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Canada

Any way to reroute your friend?

I could not OLCI for Wednesday flight going to PUJ. Needed to check in at the airport as the system said visa required. The check-in agent asked for my GC (which is already in my profile). I said an Australian does not need a visa. System said yes I did need a visa so gave my GC. I made a comment that I had already verified online with the Consulate that an Australian citizen did not need a visa so the check-in agent looked into it further in the system and finally found a notation that I did not need a tourist visa if less than 60 day stay - it was 4 days. My return flight was on the same reservation.

I have been pulled aside by Canadian immigration even though I am an Australian citizen with no visa requirements and there are many, many pax in there from Central and South America and Carribean countries waiting to be interviewed - it was irrelevant if you had family members waiting for you, you were going to miss a flight. Canadian immigration is very, very strict. This was YYZ about three years ago so not a recent experience but my understanding is there is still much border enforcement at YYZ

If OP's friend has a visa for the USA I would try and reroute away from Canada and directly to the USA.

Assuming 1). she is Peruvian, 2). who resides in Peru 3). holding US visa on 4). Peruvian passport and 5). does not have any other nationalities:
I hate to say this, but according to Timatic, she will need a transit visa. Without a transit visa, she won't be allowed to board.
There is no time anymore to apply visa because it will take at least 2 weeks, so I suggest you to change the travel arrangement now. Good luck!