I'm flying to Thailand from the US with a US Travel Document I-327 (I'm a US Permanent Resident). I'm getting a visa for Thailand and just found out I have a layover in Vancouver BC. Do I need a visa for Canada just because of a layover?
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3What Passport do you hold?– DTRTJan 9, 2018 at 20:51
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1My passport is the i-327 Travel Document, my nationality is Stateless for now, i’m becoming a US citizen later this year. Until then i can’t have a US official passport, the Travel Document/Re-entry permit is kind of like a temporary passport.– J KJan 9, 2018 at 21:18
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@JK Please edit that info into the question.– DJClayworthJan 9, 2018 at 21:54
1 Answer
US permanent residents do not need a visa to visit or transit Canada. You will however need to apply for an eTA (electronic Travel Authorization) online if you are arriving in Canada by air. The eTA application form allows you to select your type of travel document, one of the options of which is a US Re-entry Permit (I-327).
Update: Here is an official answer that clarifies that a US permanent resident can use a Re-entry Permit or Refugee Travel Document to apply for an eTA:
I am a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. (Green Card holder) and my home country will not issue a passport to me. Can I apply for an eTA using a document other than a passport?
Yes. If you are a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. (Green Card holder) and cannot get a passport from your home country because it does not issue passports to permanent residents of other countries, you can apply with:
- your U.S. Refugee Travel Document (I-571), or
- your Permit to Re-enter the United States (I-327).
Enter the document number in the passport number field on the eTA application form. Your eTA will be electronically linked to your travel document.
Note: Whenever you travel to Canada, regardless of the method of travel, carry your valid Green Card to show your status as a lawful U.S. permanent resident.
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I think you should double-check this. Green Card holders must submit a "valid passport" with their eTA (e-Visa) but the stateless OP does not have one. The eTA application site states: Travellers who cannot apply for an eTA and need to carry other identification:... Visa-required including alien’s passport holders and stateless individuals. Jan 10, 2018 at 0:56
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@AndrewLazarus: I did check it before I answered. If you start the eTA application, you select no to French passport, continue to the next page, say no to applying for someone else, it then asks what travel document you plan to use, with options including passport, I-327 US Re-entry Permit, and I-571 US Refugee Travel Document. Jan 10, 2018 at 1:03
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I just did the same thing, and it will accept that combination. The statement about valid passport doesn't agree with that, since the I-327 isn't a passport, but I'm removing the downvote because Canada's web site should knows the implementation of their own rules. (Well, I would remove it if SE would let me.) Jan 10, 2018 at 1:05