Why would the federal government need more medical information from a tourist who doesn’t need a visa to enter Canada than it requires of those who require visas.
The CBA’s Immigration Law Section wants to know why that is.
Under rules taking effect on March 15, the CIC website says, “visa-exempt foreign nationals who fly to or transit through Canada will need an Electronic Travel Authorization. Exceptions include U.S. citizens and foreign nationals with a valid visa.”
People applying for a visa are only asked whether they or a family member has ever tested positive for or been in contact with someone with tuberculosis; or whether they have a physical or mental disorder that would require social and/or health services while they’re in Canada.
While a video on the website promises people applying for ETAs that they will have to answer just a few basic questions, those questions are far more intrusive, including:
- Do you have a health condition for which you are receiving regular treatment?
- Do you have a kidney condition that requires dialysis?
- Are you travelling for medical reasons or treatment?
- Do you have a history of illness, hospitalization, injury or surgery in the last six months?
- Do you have, or will you obtain, health insurance that is valid in Canada for the duration of your stay?
“It appears that travellers who do not require visas (and thus require the ETA) face greater scrutiny about health conditions than those who require visas,” Stéphane Duval, Chair of the Immigration Section, wrote in a letter to the Canadian Border Services Agency and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada requesting a meeting to discuss the Section’s concerns.
“We question why this greater scrutiny has been built into the ETA system, especially for temporary residents entering as visitors. Visitors do not have access to public health care insurance. For this reason, they cannot constitute a drain on Canadian health or social services.”
Another concern with the ETA questions stems from the vaguely defined terms with real impact, specifically the “uncertain meaning of ‘treatment’.”
“The lack of definition of ‘treatment’ raises a host of questions. For example, does treatment include prescription medication, follow-up post-operative monitoring or prescription eyewear? An ETA applicant could honestly interpret ‘treatment’ differently than CBSA, yet CBSA might see the applicant’s interpretation as a misrepresentation and declare the applicant inadmissible. This is not a trivial concern.”