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Cayman Islands: Visa Requirements for Canada Visits

If you are a citizen of the Cayman Islands planning to visit Canada there’s good news for you! Your country is exempted from visa requirements. All you need is to apply for is an eTA and you are set to go. Check out what an eTA is and how you can apply for one!

 

ETA requirements for Cayman Islanders

Electronic Travel Authorization is a program that was launched in 2012 by the Canadian government involving several countries around the globe whose citizens are visa-exempt when visiting Canada. The program took 4 years to fully take effect as immigration databases of the visa exempt nations were being “conjoined” with the Canadian Immigration databases to allow smooth entry for the citizens.

Today, citizens from Cayman Islands and several others from the European Union simply need to apply for their eTA online. You can only use eTA when traveling by air, otherwise a full Canadian visitor visa is required.

Your eTA can only be used for short term travels, i.e. stays below six months. These are travels for purposes such as tourism, business, medical, family or friend visits. If transiting through Canada by air and you intend to spend more than 48 hours, you will require an eTA. For those travelling by other means, a full Canadian visitor visa must be obtained first.

You must have a valid machine readable passport with at least 90 days validity period from your departure date. Remember to submit your eTA application at least 3 days in advance before the date of departure because if you do not, your eTA will not be ready in time.

 

Staying for studying or working?

For those not allowed within the eTA program, you must have a Canadian visa and permit according to the type of visit. Such travel purposes include going for further studies, working, living among others.  Read about Study Permits. Read about Work Permits.

 

How long till the eTA is approved?

It typically takes up to 5 minutes only for your eTA application to be processed as well as be approved. However, it is required that you submit your application at least 3 days from departure date. If approved, you will receive via email in form of a pdf. You won’t have to get it printed and carry it along during the visit. It is already reflected against your passport in the Canadian immigration system.

Alternatively, if it not approved, you still can apply for the full temporary resident visa. If you got something wrong on the application but not sure what it is, you can seek professional services of an agent who has handled many applications with high success rates.