IRCC has scheduled system maintenance for the electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) portal from 00:00 to 05:30 ET on 15 October 2026, following an earlier window that began on 13 October. The department posted the advisory on its ‘How to apply for an eTA’ page, warning prospective visitors that application and payment functions will be unavailable during the downtime. The outage may affect last-minute business travellers from visa-exempt countries transiting through or entering Canada, as airlines require a valid eTA before check-in. Carriers have been notified through the Advance Passenger Information system to permit boarding only once authorisations are confirmed. Global-mobility coordinators should advise affected staff or clients to apply before the blackout window or wait until the system resumes. Those whose eTA applications are already in process will not lose their place in the queue, but approvals will not be issued until after maintenance concludes. The upgrade is part of IRCC’s broader digital-modernisation initiative, which aims to migrate all visitor-visa and eTA processing to a cloud-based platform by mid-2027, promising faster adjudication and enhanced fraud detection. Travellers who encounter urgent travel needs during the outage can contact IRCC’s emergency line, though same-day issuance cannot be guaranteed.
Source: Government of Canada – IRCC
