According to Canada’s 2023–2025 Immigration Levels Plan released on Tuesday, the North American country embraces immigration as a strategy to help businesses find workers.
Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser, said the plan will attract the skills required in key sectors like health care, manufacturing and technology.
Canada is famed for its multiculturalism, cosmopolitan and green cities, beautiful lakes, robust economy, low crime rate, and Canadians unparalleled hospitality. Canada is a North American country with the longest freshwater beach measuring 202,080 km.
In order to visit and explore this alluring country, a visa must be issued by the Canadian authority which will authorize your stay. Canadian Visa is issued when an immigrant or visitor requests to visit, study, live or work in the country. The visa offers authorization to either study, visit, live or work.
Obtaining a Canada visa can be onerous and frustrating, the entire process involves a lot of paperwork and money obviously. But hey do not despair, Canada is among few countries that are generous to immigrants. There are different types of Canadian visa, and they all have their unique requirements. But do you know you can travel to Canada without a visa? I am sure you are feeling enthusiastic about visiting the home of ‘Poutine’.
Citizens of certain countries are privileged to travel to Canada without the hassle of acquiring a visa. Just their valid passport will suffice and their entry into Canada is guaranteed.
Not long ago the Canadian government introduced ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization), nationals of visa-exempt countries who wish to enter Canada by air has to apply for ETA online before their departure to Canada. ETA is not required for nationals of visa-exempt countries who are entering Canada by road.
Who Needs An ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization)
Are you are a citizen of visa-exempt countries? Are you transitioning by air through Canada? If your answer is affirmative then you need an ETA.
United States of America Citizens and Permanent Resident
U.S. citizens only need their valid passport to enter Canada, citizens of the United States are not required to apply for ETA. However permanent resident of the United States of America must apply for an ETA before their departure to Canada through the air.
Dual Citizens
If you are a proud owner of a Canadian Passport and a citizen of another country, you are exempted from ETA. However, your Canadian passport must accompany you during your entry into Canada via air.
Canadian Permanent Residents
Canadian permanent residents need only their travelling documents when travelling to Canada.
Applying For An ETA
ETA application can be done online seamlessly in minutes and it costs only $7 CAD, approved ETA validity is five years once granted. ETA is an electronic document, you will not be issued a physical document by the Canadian government.
List Of Visa Exempt Countries
Citizens of the following countries are visa exempted when entering Canada but requires ETA when boarding a flight.
- Andorra
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- British citizen
- British National (Overseas)
- British overseas citizen (re-admissible to the United Kingdom)
- British overseas territory citizen with citizenship through birth, descent, naturalization or registration in one of the British overseas territories of:
- Anguilla
- Bermuda
- The British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
- Gibraltar
- Montserrat
- Pitcairn Island
- Saint Helena
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- British Subject with a right of abode in the United Kingdom
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Chile
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China must have a passport issued by Hong Kong SAR.
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel must have a national Israeli passport
- Italy
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Papua New Guinea
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania (electronic passport holders only)
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan must have an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes the personal identification number
- United Arab Emirates
- The United States, lawful permanent resident of
- Vatican City State must have a passport or travel document issued by the Vatican.
How To Apply
Before you apply kindly go through the listed below as it would help you during your application
1. Your Personal Finance:
Personal finance is the financial management which an individual or a family unit performs to budget, save, and spend monetary resources over time, taking into account various financial risks and future life events.
When planning personal finances, the individual would consider the suitability to his or her needs of a range of banking products (checking, savings accounts, credit cards and consumer loans) or investment in private equity, (companies’ shares, bonds, mutual funds) and insurance (life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance) products or participation and monitoring of and- or employer-sponsored retirement plans, social security benefits, and income tax management.
2. Insurance :
The decision to get insurance depends on your circumstances and your stage in life, such as:
- moving in with your partner
- starting a family
- buying a home or renting a home or an apartment
- starting a business
- buying a new vehicle
- taking a loan or getting a credit card
Insurance can protect you and your loved ones from financial loss or hardship.
Insurance can help cover costs if something unexpected happens to:
- you or your family
- your vehicle
- your home
- your belongings
- your job
There are many insurance products that cover different types of risks.
Understand your insurance policy
An insurance policy is a legal contract between you (the insured) and the insurance company (the insurer).
An insurance policy specifies:
- which risks are covered by your insurance company
- under what circumstances the insurer will make a payment to you
- how much money, or what type of benefit, you’ll get if you make a claim
Usually the policyholder is the person who owns the insurance policy. In some cases, the policyholder isn’t the insured, but rather a family member or loved one.
The amount of money or benefit you’ll get if you make a claim depends on:
- the amount of damage or loss to your car or home
- your policy for life or health insurance
Make sure you understand what your insurance policy covers and doesn’t cover. Ask questions about anything you don’t understand.
Premiums
To get insurance you pay a fee called a premium. Usually, you pay the premium monthly, quarterly or yearly. The amount you pay as a premium may change over time for some types of insurance.
The amount you’ll pay as a premium is based on the probability that you’ll make a claim. Insurance companies charge higher premiums to people they think are more likely to make a claim.
Generally, the amount you pay as a premium depends on factors such as:
- the type of insurance
- your age
- your gender
- your medical history for life and health insurance
- the value of the goods insured for home insurance
- the type of car you drive for car insurance
- the amount of coverage you need
- your deductible
- your claim history
- the amount you owe for credit protection insurance
When you pay premiums, your insurance company agrees to pay a certain amount of money for any loss or damages that your policy covers.
Impact of your credit rating on premiums
When you get car or home insurance, an insurance company can charge higher premiums based on your credit rating.
Some provinces have regulations that ban the use of credit reports and credit scores in determining insurance premiums for certain types of insurance.
These provinces are:
- Alberta: car insurance
- Ontario: car insurance
- Newfoundland and Labrador: home and car insurance
The Insurance Bureau of Canada(IBC) represents most home and car insurance companies in Canada. They provide standards to protect consumers when insurers choose to use credit information.
Insurance companies agree to:
- request your consent before collecting and using your credit information
- advise you of your right to opt out of releasing credit information
- advise you of the consequences of opting out of releasing credit information (for example, you may not qualify for the insurer’s best rate or discounts if you have a good credit report)
To confirm if your insurance company is allowed to collect and use your credit information when determining your coverage and premiums, contact your provincial or territorial insurance regulator.
3. Mortgages in Canada :
What is a mortgage
When you buy a home, you may only be able to pay for part of the purchase price. The amount you pay is a down payment. To cover the remaining costs of the home purchase, you may need help from a lender. The loan you get from a lender to help pay for your home is a mortgage.
A mortgage is a legal contract between you and your lender. It specifies the details of your loan and it’s secured on a property, like a house or a condo.
With a secured loan, the lender has a legal right to take your property. They can do so if you don’t respect the conditions of your mortgage. This includes paying on time and maintaining your home.
Unlike most types of loans, with a mortgage:
- your loan is secured by a property
- you may have a balance owing at the end of your contract
- you normally need to renew your contract multiple times until you finish paying your balance in full
- you may have to meet qualification requirements including passing a stress test
- you need a down payment
- you may need to break your contract and pay a penalty
- your loan is typically for an amount in the hundreds of thousands of dollars
What to consider when getting a mortgage
When you shop for a mortgage, your lender or mortgage broker provides you with options. Make sure you understand the options and features. This will help you choose a mortgage that best suits your needs.
This includes your:
- mortgage principal amount
- amortization
- payment frequency