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I will be flying SIN-YVR-DEN on Air Canada on a single ticket, and am from a country where an eTA is sufficient to enter Canada. Will I go through Canadian entry and exit immigration before going through US entry immigration (making it a full entry into Canada where I would be allowed to roam freely in the public side of the airport)?

It seems that there is no sterile transit in Canada, but that seems to be understood as needing an eTA for transit, rather than whether I will pass through Canadian entry immigration and enter Canada before leaving Canada again.

The Air Canada website is clear that I don't need to pick up my checked baggage, but it doesn't really make it clear if following the "USA Connections" signage will lead me through Canadian immigration in addition to US immigration.

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    For what it's worth, the official guide map from the YVR airport doesn't mention any interaction through Canadian custom & immigration either; and it says that "passengers will proceed through ... Canada (or U.S.) Customs", which implies one or the other. But it'd be good to have a more definitive answer than that, which is why this is a comment rather than an answer.
    – Michael Seifert
    Commented Aug 31 at 13:42

3 Answers 3

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Do passengers transiting in YVR (Vancouver) from international to US go through Canadian immigration?

No

YVR is a US preclearance airport. After deplaning you will directly proceed to US immigration which will check your docs for entry into the US.

You will not interact with an Canadian immigration and you will not enter Canada.

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    +1. You will, however, go through Canadian immigration on the way back from the US to Singapore via YVR.
    – lambshaanxy
    Commented Aug 31 at 20:49
  • What's the logic in skipping Canadian immigration if you have to do US preclearance though? US preclearance is supposed to be US entry immigration, just done before the flight.
    – Bernard
    Commented Sep 1 at 8:12
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    @Bernard it allows you to skip a passport line (entering canada), and saves border police time/money.
    – ave
    Commented Sep 1 at 12:56
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    @Bernard Whatever purpose Canada has "transit immigration" for, they apparently consider US preclearance to fulfil that
    – Crazydre
    Commented Sep 1 at 13:43
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Canada doesn't do exit border control at all. For international connections, you do pass through Canadian "transit immigration" in the sterile area, except if connecting to a US flight, in which case you clear US immigration instead. In either case airlines are NOT allowed to board you without an eTA

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I just did this a month ago and the process depends on your airline.

In your case, if you follow the USA Connections/E-U Correspondances signage you will end up directly in US preclearance since you're coming in on Air Canada.

If you were coming in on, as it might be, Air New Zealand, you would be told to go back and follow the signs to immigration/customs/baggage claim. You'd then go through immigration, pick up your bags, and drop them again at the US airline.

I was on Air New Zealand transferring to Air Canada: AKL-YVR-PDX

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