Learn the status of your ETA application for Canada

The status of your ETA application is normally advised by email within a few hours following the receipt of your application. If this is not the case you can find out here how to confirm your status by another simple method.

Apply for an ETA Canada

Have you completed an ETA application to visit Canada using this online service but haven’t yet received a response from the Canadian authorities? In this case you may wish to verify the status of your ETA application or wish to know if your ETA is still valid. To assist you we will explain here what to do and the procedure you should follow to know if your travel authorisation has been approved or not and therefore if you can still continue with your travel plans.

 

How to learn the status of your ETA application:

In principle if you completed an online ETA application you should have no need to complete any other administrative procedure to know your ETA status as the response from the Canadian immigration authorities will be automatically sent to you by email. This response should arrive rapidly, normally between just a few minutes to a few hours. If you have not received a response to your application after several days this may be due to a mistake you made when entering your email address on your application form or the response email has been misfiled in your spam or junk email folder. It is therefore important to check these email folders. Of course, if you gave a wrong email address then you will not be able to receive this email.

In this case you can send an email to the service provider who will notify you of your application reference number and inform you rapidly of its status.

A tool implemented on the official website also enables you to complete this verification if you have received your reference number by email.

 

What are the different types of status for an ETA application and what do they mean?

When accessing the status of your ETA application or when you receive the response email from the Canadian authorities you will find one of three different responses, these are as follows:

  • Approved: Your ETA application has been examined and accepted by the Canadian authorities. You may therefore visit Canada with just your passport as your ETA is electronically linked to this.
  • Pending: If you see this status then this means that your application has not yet been examined by officers of the Canadian immigration service or they are completing certain verifications before giving their response. You will shortly receive another email that will indicate if your application has been approved or refused.
  • Refused: If this is the status of your ETA application this means that the information you gave when completing the application form online does not entitle you to travel to Canada.  In certain cases you may complete a classic visa application at your Canadian Embassy or consulate with the aim of continuing with your visit to Canada.

 

What to do if you cannot ascertain the status of your ETA application?

In certain cases it is possible that you will not be able to determine the status of your ETA or you will not be able to consult it. Here therefore are some explanations that indicate how you should proceed to resolve this problem.

Firstly if you wish to consult the status of an ETA authorisation that you have already used to ensure it is still valid then you can refer to the date of the initial visit you made when you received your ETA. It should be remembered that an ETA is valid for a period of five years from the approval date. However, if you cannot access your ETA file then it can be complicated to check if the personal information you entered is still the same.

There are several simple methods to find your ETA. Firstly we recommend you check in your email inbox to try and find the confirmation notification that was initially sent to you as this will state your reference number.

If you are not able to consult the status of your ETA after your first application and you have not received a response confirmation email then we recommend you check the following points: 

  • Firstly, look in your spam or junk email inbox as it is quite possible that the response email for your ETA application from the Canadian authorities has slipped in there by mistake.
  • Also verify that the email inbox where you look for this email is the same email address you gave when completing the application form online. Unfortunately if you made a mistake when entering your email address you cannot modify this information and you will have to complete a new application including the entire questionnaire. 
  • Finally, you should confirm that the payment of the required fees that is requested at the end of the application procedure has been debited from your account. If this is not the case this means that the payment has been refused by your bank or that you made an error when entering your credit or debit card information. Your application will therefore not be transmitted and you will have to complete a new application, checking carefully this time that the payment has been successfully completed.

 

When is it necessary to proceed with a verification of your ETA application?

As we have previously mentioned in this article it is normally unnecessary to check the status of your ETA application as you should quickly receive a notification from the Canadian authorities, within 72 hours at the most of submitting the application form. This will arrive at the email address you gave on your application and will state if your ETA application has been approved or refused. Of course, if the 72 hour period has not passed it is pointless to worry or check the status of your ETA application as this probably means that your application is still being examined.

In any case, once the 72 hours has passed, it is not normal that you have not received a notification email and in this case you may wish to consult the status of your application directly online. There may be several explanations why you have not received this email such as a mistake made when entering your email address on your application form or a technical problem connecting to your email inbox or the deletion of this email by mistake. In this case you need to check the situation of your application to ascertain if your ETA application has been approved or not so you know how you should continue with your travel plans to Canada.

Other particular cases may also require a verification of your ETA status. For example, let us imagine that you have already obtained this authorisation in the past and wish to use it for another visit to Canada. In this case you will need to confirm that your ETA is still valid. If you didn’t make a note of the validity date or keep the notification email that was sent to you at that time then you may be wondering when it actually expires and not want to take any risks regarding your travel plans. In this case it may be a good idea to check the status of your ETA yourself. It is important to remember that an ETA travel authorisation for Canada has a validity period of five years from the date it is approved. If no major personal information has changed since it was originally approved and it is still valid then you can use it again for your next visit.

Of course, and before trying to verify the status of your ETA application online, we recommend you search in your email inbox and try to find the email that was sent to you. Do not forget to check your spam or junk email folder as well.

 

What are the different steps you should follow to proceed with a verification of your ETA application status?

As we have just noted, it can sometimes be necessary to proceed with a verification yourself of the status of your ETA application. To do so you simply need to follow the steps we will explain here which will enable you to ascertain if your application has been accepted, refused or is still pending.

The first stage consists of sending an email to the service provider through whom you completed your application procedure or visit the official Canadian immigration website. You will then have to reply to a few simple questions aimed at confirming your identity and finding your file faster. Among the information that will be requested is the reference number of your application if you made a note of it when you submitted it. If this is not the case then you can provide other information that will assist in finding your file such as your passport number, your email address, your full name and date of birth. 

All you need to do now is simply confirm your details to find your file and you will be able to check the status of your ETA. This verification will enable you to know if your ETA has been approved or refused, if it is still valid and until when as well as other important information that has been registered. In fact, if you plan a future visit to Canada using your current ETA you will need to confirm that all the information on your ETA is still correct and has not changed. If it has then you will be required to complete a new ETA application online.

In all cases, and if despite any manual searches you may perform you do not find your ETA, or its status, you will need to check if your application has been successfully submitted online as this probably means that your application has not been registered. In fact, certain problems during the submission of your application can block the procedure and thereby obstruct the processing of your application by the Canadian authorities. For example, maybe you interrupted the procedure before its successful completion by closing your internet browser or maybe the payment of the transfer and processing costs for your application has not been successfully completed due to a mistake when entering the number of your credit or debit card or there are not sufficient funds in your account.

For one or the other of these cases, this is the procedure you should follow. Firstly verify that the payment of the associated fees has been completed from your account. If this is not the case then it is impossible that your application has been processed. Of course, this means that you will need to complete the application procedure again to obtain your ETA travel authorisation. Ensure this time that you follow the entire procedure to the end and confirm that your bank account has the funds necessary to make the payment for the transfer and processing fees of your application. The status of your new application will then be sent to you by email.

The status of your ETA application is normally communicated by email in a few hours following your application submission. If this is not the case then read here how you can verify your application status through another simple method.

Apply for an ETA Canada