Immigration Procedure at Victoria Canada

[sandav]

We are booked on the Ultimate Alaska Cruise on Solstice in May 2017 from Vancouver to Seattle. As this cruise has a stop in Victoria will we need to go through Canadian immigration there as well as in Vancouver as the ship's port before Victoria will have been a US one. We are UK citizens so we we know we will need an electronic travel authorisation to enter Canada by air when we fly into Vancouver. We are planning on booking an independent excursion in Victoria as the ship arrives around noon and doesn't leave until 8pm and are wondering how long it will take to get off the ship.

Sandra

[upwarduk]

We are booked on the Ultimate Alaska Cruise on Solstice in May 2017 from Vancouver to Seattle. As this cruise has a stop in Victoria will we need to go through Canadian immigration there as well as in Vancouver as the ship's port before Victoria will have been a US one. We are UK citizens so we we know we will need an electronic travel authorisation to enter Canada by air when we fly into Vancouver. We are planning on booking an independent excursion in Victoria as the ship arrives around noon and doesn't leave until 8pm and are wondering how long it will take to get off the ship.

Sandra

 

Since when have UK citizens needed a ESTA for Canada?

 

Thank you for writing to the Canada Visa Help Desk.

 

We would like to inform you that British citizens do not need a Visitor/Transit Visa to visit Canada. Kindly visit the CIC website for further inquiries: http://www.cic.gc.ca.

 

For further assistance, please visit our website http://vfsglobal.ca/Canada/UnitedKingdom/ or contact us on +44 (0) 203 6086 880. Our working hours are from Monday to Friday between 8am-5pm.

 

Kind Regards,

Silas

Assistance service[/Quote]

 

Website: http://www.vfsglobal.ca/canada/unitedkingdom

Edited January 11, 2016 by upwarduk

[bigbenboys]

We are US citizens. We have stopped many times in Victoria. All they have is a small building. We just show drivers license and seapass card. Then the parking lot is right there with taxi and buses.

[WpgCruise]

Since when have UK citizens needed a ESTA for Canada?

 

looks like March 2016 if entering by air.

 

 

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/eta.asp

[sandav]

Since when have UK citizens needed a ESTA for Canada?

 

looks like March 2016 if entering by air.

 

 

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/eta.asp

 

That's what I was talking about. But us Brits don't need one if arriving by land or sea.

[az_tchr]

There is no immigration procedure going into Victoria as you are already precleared via your passports when boarding. Sometimes show your seapass and sometimes nothing going in. Need photo ID and seapass returning to the ship.

 

Even more interesting is going to be people flying in the US with about 1/2 the drivers licenses not going to be valid for DOMESTIC air travel starting later this year!

[sandav]

There is no immigration procedure going into Victoria as you are already precleared via your passports when boarding. Sometimes show your seapass and sometimes nothing going in. Need photo ID and seapass returning to the ship.

 

Even more interesting is going to be people flying in the US with about 1/2 the drivers licenses not going to be valid for DOMESTIC air travel starting later this year!

 

That's what I hoped. We aim to book a private excursion for 1.30pm and as the ship arrives at noon, we should be able to do that. We'll take our photo driving licences and leave our passports on the ship.

Thanks

Sandra

[Ayton lady]

From March 16th 2016 we UK citizens will need an ESTA for entry into Canada. I am OK for my visit to my son in Vancouver next week but will need and ESTA for my cruise from there in June.

[sandav]

From March 16th 2016 we UK citizens will need an ESTA for entry into Canada. I am OK for my visit to my son in Vancouver next week but will need and ESTA for my cruise from there in June.

 

It's like an ESTA for the US but it's called an eTA for Canada and it lasts for 5 years while an ESTA only lasts for 2 years.

[JRYMCMB]

It's like an ESTA for the US but it's called an eTA for Canada and it lasts for 5 years while an ESTA only lasts for 2 years.

 

2 years ? I thought it was 90 days

 

I'm a dual Canadian/British citizen and made the mistake of crossing into the US with my British passport before, had to get pulled into customs, have my fingerprints taken and photo taken, answer a questionnaire on a little green form and had a card placed in my passport valid for 90 days. Has this changed ?

[sandav]

2 years ? I thought it was 90 days

 

I'm a dual Canadian/British citizen and made the mistake of crossing into the US with my British passport before, had to get pulled into customs, have my fingerprints taken and photo taken, answer a questionnaire on a little green form and had a card placed in my passport valid for 90 days. Has this changed ?

 

UK citizens have needed an ESTA ( Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) to enter the US since around 2010. The green cards are no longer used now.When we apply for an ESTA online, we get an travel authorisation that lasts for 2 years and links to our passport and allows us to travel to the US. We can make multiple visits within the two years but I think we can only stay for up to 90 days at a time. We have to leave a reasonable time between visits(whatever reasonable time means.) If you have a Canadian passport this will not apply as the rules for Canadian citizens are different. I imagine if you enter the US from Canada with your UK passport you will need an ESTA. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.