Transportation In Canada - Getting Around As A New Immigrant

If you are planning a trip or moving to Canada temporarily or permanently, there are a number of tasks you have to prepare for in advance.

Select your Airport of Entry (AOE)

An Airport of Entry (AOE) is an airport that provides customs and immigration services for incoming flights. When selecting your flight, you should always check if the Canadian airport is a port of entry and will accept an international arrival.

You should also check if the airport is equipped with the fingerprints scan machines, as some international airports do not and may refuse a passenger travelling under the visa waiver program (eTA).

You can find more information on AOEs in the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) website.

Passport Requirements

All visitors to Canada, including visiting crew members, require valid passports except:

Citizens of the U.S.
U.S. green card holders, seeking entry from the U.S. or St-Pierre-and-Miquelon.
French citizens who reside permanently in St-Pierre and Miquelon, seeking entry from St-Pierre and Miquelon.
Residents of Greenland entering Canada from Greenland.

Visa Requirements

When entering Canada for the first time as a temporary or permanent resident, you will first be welcomed by an officer of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

You will be asked to show your travel documents (passport, visa, Study or Work Permit, etc.). Regardless of your situation, the officer will have some questions for you. It falls on you to persuade the officer you can be allowed entry into Canada

If you are a temporary resident (for work, studies, or tourism), you also have to assert and persuade the officer that you will not stay in Canada past the expiry date on your visa/permit.
If you are a permanent resident, you will be directed to an Immigration Officer for an Immigration interview.

If you are a visitor, you will need your passport, your eTA or a valid TRV (see exceptions above). For more information, check our Visit webpage.

If you are a temporary resident, you will need your passport, your Study Permit or Work Permit, and your eTA or TRV. If your destination is Quebec, you will also need a Certificate d’Acceptation du Quebec (CAQ). For more information, check our Study or Temporary Work Permit sections.

If you a permanent resident, you will need your passport, your Confirmation of Permanent Residency (CoPR), and your eTA or visa. If you are a permanent resident of Quebec, you might need a Certificate de Selection du Quebec (CSQ). For more information, check our Permanent Resident section.

About Transit Visa

If your flight to Canada has a layover in any country, for even 1 hour, you should check if you need a transit visa or any electronic travel authorization (ESTA for the U.S., ETA for Australia) or don’t need any visa at all. This could be problematic as when you find a cheap flight fare with a layover, the company will usually not ask you if you’ll need a transit visa.

This is especially relevant for African, Middle East, Latin American and Asian countries that usually will need to have a visa to transit by a European or American country. If you need to have a layover to get to Canada, you should choose it carefully.

Direct Flight to Canada

Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat are the three biggest Canadian airline companies.

Through its network of partner airlines, Air Canada offers flights to Canada from almost anywhere in the world.
With WestJet, you can book flights from cities across the U.S., as well as Ireland, the UK, and parts of the Caribbean.
Air Transat connects Canada to Europe, the US, and Central American destinations.

If you want to get to Canada with direct flights, here are the list of companies offering direct flights from your home country:

Europe

Aer Lingus
Air Canada
Air France
Air Transat
Austrian Airlines
Azores Airlines
British Airways
Brussels Airlines
Corsair
Edelweiss
Icelandair
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
LOT Polish
Lufthansa
Swiss International Airlines
Turkish Airlines
TAP Portugal
WOW Air

America and Caribbean

AeroMexico
Air Canada
Air Transat
Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
Caribbean Airlines
Copa Airlines
Cubana
Delta
Fly Jamaica Airways
Interjet
Sunwing Airlines
United
Westjet Airlines

Africa

Air Algérie
Air Canada
Egyptair
Ethiopian Airlines
Royal Air Maroc
Tunisair

Asia

Air China
Air Canada
All Nippon Airways
Beijing Capital Airlines
Cathay Pacific
China Airlines
China Eastern
China Southern Airlines
Eva Air
Hainan Airlines
Hong Kong Airlines
Japan Airlines
Korean Airlines
Pakistan International
Philippine Airlines
Turkish Airlines

Middle East

Air Canada
Air Transat
Emirates
Etihad Airways
Qatar Airways
Royal Jordanian
Saudi Airlines

Oceania

Air New Zealand
Qantas Airways

Canadian Low-Cost Flights

Some new low-cost carriers are preparing for take-off in Canada, which it’s hoped will make flights to Canada more affordable, particularly for connecting flights from one Canadian city to another.

Make sure it is what you want, as the cheapest plan will usually only get you a cabin luggage, but no meals, no checked baggage, no entertainment.

For domestic flights: Flair Airlines (Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton, …), Jetlines (from Hamilton to Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, …), Swoop.

For international flights: Wow Air (from Montréal/Toronto to the U.S., Europe, Israël), Primera Air (from Toronto to London, Birmingham, Paris).

Make sure you are not forgetting anything, with our Pre-Arrival To-Do List