UK Visa from Canada 2026: ETA for Canadians and Visitor Visa for Permanent Residents and Permit Holders

Do You Need a UK Visa from Canada? (2026 Quick Answer)

It depends on the passport you travel with, not on where you live. A Canadian citizen and a permanent resident of Canada can board the same flight and still need different documents. Fees and timings below are as of October 2026.

Canadian citizens: UK ETA

• No visa for visits of up to 6 months, but an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) is required. Since 25 February 2026, airlines prevent passengers without an ETA, eVisa or other valid documentation from boarding.
• Fee: £20, in force since 8 April 2026.
• Validity: 2 years or until the passport expires, whichever is sooner, for as many trips as you like.
• Decision: usually by email within a day, up to 3 working days.

The GOV.UK visa checker tells Canadian tourists they need either an ETA or a Standard Visitor visa, and notes that a visa may suit people with a criminal record or a previous refusal of entry to the UK.

Residents of Canada with visa-required passports: Standard Visitor visa

• PR, work permit and study permit holders with passports from countries such as India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Nigeria or China need a Standard Visitor visa.
• Fee: £135 for up to 6 months, shown as CAD 265 on the Home Office fee calculator in October 2026.
• Process: online application up to 3 months before travel, then biometrics at a VFS Global centre in Canada.
• Decision: usually 3 weeks from biometrics. UKVI advises against booking travel before the decision.

Canadian status does not change this. GOV.UK says ETA eligibility depends on the nationality shown on the passport, and the UK visa national list has no exception for residents of Canada. A Canadian PR card or visa helps only with transit, covered below.

UK ETA for Canadian Citizens - Cost, Validity and How to Apply

An ETA is a digital permission to travel, not a visa. It covers trips to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man of up to 6 months each. It does not guarantee entry.

The fee is £20, online or in the UK ETA app, with no refund once you apply. GOV.UK publishes no Canadian-dollar price, so budget from £20. The ETA is linked to your passport and lasts 2 years or until that passport expires.

What you need

• The passport you will travel with
• An email address
• A credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay
• Photos of the applicant's face

How to apply

• Open the ETA guide on GOV.UK and choose the UK ETA app (Google Play or the App Store) or the online form.
• In the app, scan your passport and your face with the phone camera.
• Pay £20 and wait for the email with your 16-digit ETA reference number.
• GOV.UK says to wait for that confirmation email before travelling.

According to a Home Office factsheet from April 2026, most app applicants currently get an automatic decision in minutes. Some cases need further review, so the Home Office recommends applying at least three working days before travel.

Fake ETA Websites and How to Spot the Official App

GOV.UK warns: "Other websites may charge more to apply. Avoid websites that imitate government services." It adds that you cannot get a faster decision through another website or app. The Home Office April 2026 factsheet also notes that other application services may charge a higher fee than the UK Government.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in October 2026, a Canadian traveller paid £140, about C$240, on a look-alike site instead of the official £20. The ETA was issued, but the site also collected passport details and a photo. It is one report, not a statistic.

How to recognise the official route

• We recommend starting from gov.uk/eta rather than a search ad.
• That guide links to the official UK ETA app on Google Play and the App Store, and to a form on the homeoffice.gov.uk domain.
• A charge well above £20 means you are probably not on the government service.
• GOV.UK says you will never be asked to pay for a visa in cash or by money transfer.

Visa and immigration scams can be reported to Report Fraud, according to GOV.UK, and the Home Office factsheet points scam victims to report the scam on GOV.UK.

To be clear about our role: Visarun is a private visa agency, not a government channel. We do not issue ETAs or visas, government fees go to the Home Office, and decisions belong to UKVI or Border Force. For an ETA, the official app is the direct route; we help travellers check whether they need an ETA or a visa and prepare visa applications, with no guarantee of the outcome.

UK Standard Visitor Visa for Residents of Canada

PR holders, international students and foreign workers in Canada with visa-required passports need this visa for a UK trip of up to 6 months. Anyone whose passport is on the UK visa national list needs a visa in advance for any purpose, and a Canadian PR card or permit does not take you off that list. Canadian citizens can also choose this visa instead of an ETA.

Fees (as of October 2026)

• Up to 6 months: £135, shown as CAD 265 on the Home Office fee tool
• Valid for up to 2 years: CAD 993
• Valid for up to 5 years: CAD 1,772
• Valid for up to 10 years: CAD 2,214

The pound amount is the legal fee; Canadian-dollar figures follow the Home Office exchange-rate policy and can change. You can apply no earlier than 3 months before travel.

What the application needs to show

• You will leave the UK at the end of the visit.
• You can support yourself and any dependants, or someone else funds you.
• You can pay for return or onward travel, or someone else will.
• You will not live in the UK through frequent or successive visits.

We recommend including proof of your Canadian status and of the job or studies you return to, since it speaks to the first point. A successful applicant gets an eVisa, accessed by creating a UKVI account, confirming identity and linking the account to the eVisa.

Visarun helps residents of Canada check the requirements and prepare a complete visitor visa application; the decision itself rests with UKVI.

Biometrics in Canada, Fees and Processing Time

During the online application you book a visa application centre appointment to prove your identity, give fingerprints and a photo, and provide documents. The passport is returned the same day.

Where the centres are

UKVI's page for Canada sends applicants to VFS Global, which operates the centres. Once you confirm your location, you cannot change it.

According to Memorial University in Newfoundland (January 2026), the only physical centres in Canada are in Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver. It adds that a mobile clinic visits Halifax and VFS visits Memorial's St. John's campus three times a year; the 2026 campus dates were 10-11 March, 16-17 June and 6-7 October, all now past. According to applicant reports on Reddit in September 2026, a PR student in Newfoundland was counting on that early-October visit. We recommend confirming current locations and dates on the VFS Global booking page.

An extra appointment fee may apply at some centres and mobile clinics, so check it when booking.

Processing time

The usual decision time for a Standard Visitor application from outside the UK is 3 weeks from biometrics, per UKVI processing times updated in September 2026. According to applicant reports on Reddit in September 2026, one Filipino resident of Canada gave biometrics on 17 September and got a result on 25 September, but that is an anecdote, not a standard.

Faster decisions

• Priority: £500 extra, decision usually within 5 working days
• Super Priority: £1,000 extra, decision usually by the end of the next working day

Both apply only if your centre offers them for your visa; GOV.UK does not confirm this for Canada.

Transiting Through Heathrow or Another UK Airport

Two questions matter: do you pass UK border control, and which passport do you hold?

Canadian citizens

No ETA is needed if you stay airside; an ETA is needed to pass border control. GOV.UK says you pass border control if you leave the main airport building, collect and re-check bags, or have an onward flight on a different calendar day with nowhere to stay overnight airside, such as a transit hotel.

The airside exemption is temporary: Home Office caseworker guidance from August 2026 says it is kept under review, while landside transit still requires an ETA. The April 2026 factsheet names Heathrow and Manchester. According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September 2026, two Canadians connecting at Heathrow without changing terminals were unsure about this, so we recommend confirming with your airline whether your connection stays airside.

Residents of Canada with visa-required passports

Many visa nationals, including Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian and Chinese passport holders (Filipinos are exempt), need a Direct Airside Transit visa (DATV) to change flights airside, unless they hold a valid Canadian visa or permanent resident card issued on or after 28 June 2002.

Passing border control without a visa is possible if you arrive and leave by air, have a confirmed onward flight leaving the same day or before midnight the next day, hold the right documents for your destination, and meet one more condition, such as a Canadian permanent residence permit issued on or after 28 June 2002 or a valid Canadian visa when travelling to or from Canada. Border Force decides, and e-visas or e-residence permits are not accepted for transiting without a visa.

GOV.UK does not list a work or study permit alone, or a Canadian eTA, so we recommend checking the GOV.UK visa checker before relying on them. If unsure, GOV.UK says you can apply for a transit visa in advance. Fees as of October 2026:

• Direct Airside Transit visa: £41.50 (CAD 81 on the fee tool)
• Visitor in Transit visa, leaving within 48 hours: £74.50 (CAD 146)
• More than 48 hours: Standard Visitor visa

According to applicant reports on Reddit in October 2026, a Pakistani passport holder with a Canadian PR card was considering a roughly 23-hour overnight layover at Heathrow and leaving the airport. Leaving the airport means border control, so the midnight deadline and the Border Force decision apply.

Youth Mobility and Other Longer Stays (Brief Overview)

With an ETA you cannot stay over 6 months, work (apart from permitted paid engagements or the Creative Worker concession), claim public funds, live in the UK through frequent visits, or marry or register a civil partnership. Canadians aged 18 to 35 who want to live and work in the UK can apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa:

• Up to 2 years, plus a one-year extension for Canadians
• Fee £340 (CAD 667 on the fee tool) plus a healthcare surcharge of usually £776 per year
• At least £2,530 in savings, held for 28 days in a row
• Apply up to 6 months ahead; decision usually within 3 weeks

According to applicant reports on Reddit in September and October 2026, some Canadians were approved 3-4 days after biometrics; the official standard is still 3 weeks. Partner and family visas follow separate rules not covered here.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

• 8 January 2025: Canadians became subject to the ETA requirement.
• 9 April 2025: ETA fee raised from £10 to £16, short visit visa from £115 to £127.
• 25 February 2026: ETA enforcement; airlines prevent passengers without an ETA, eVisa or other valid documentation from boarding, and Canada is among 85 nationalities legally required to hold one.
• Since early 2026: visitor visas are issued as eVisas; according to law firm DavidsonMorris, applications paid on or after 25 February 2026 get no passport sticker.
• 8 April 2026: ETA raised from £16 to £20, visit visa to £135, DATV to £41.50, Visitor in Transit to £74.50, Youth Mobility to £340.
• 9 April 2026: ETA applications opened for Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
• 3 August 2026: caseworker guidance calls airside ETA exemption temporary.
• 8 October 2026: fee table leaves the £20 ETA and £135 visa unchanged.

Some older pages still quote the pre-April ETA fee, so we recommend checking GOV.UK before paying.

FAQ

Do Canadian citizens need a visa for the UK?

Not for visits of up to 6 months. They need a UK ETA before boarding, which costs £20 as of October 2026 and covers multiple trips for 2 years or until the passport expires.

Does Canadian PR let me visit the UK visa-free?

No. The nationality on your passport decides, so a visa national needs a Standard Visitor visa whatever their status in Canada. A Canadian PR card helps only with transit.

I am British and Canadian. Can I use an ETA?

No. According to the Government of Canada, dual Canadian and British or Irish citizens travel on their British, Irish or British overseas territories citizen passport, or apply for a certificate of entitlement for the Canadian passport.

How long does my Canadian passport need to be valid?

For at least the expected length of your stay, according to the Government of Canada. An ETA also ends when the passport expires.

I renewed my passport. Is my ETA still valid?

No. The ETA is linked to the passport, so an expired or changed passport needs a new ETA. You can check the status of an existing ETA on GOV.UK.

Do I need an ETA to change planes at Heathrow?

Not if you stay airside, under a temporary exemption. Leaving the airport, re-checking bags or an overnight connection with no airside place to stay means border control and an ETA.

I have a criminal record or a past UK refusal. ETA or visa?

GOV.UK says you may want to apply for a Standard Visitor visa. An ETA does not guarantee entry.

Can I work in the UK on an ETA?

No, apart from permitted paid engagements or the Creative Worker concession. Canadians aged 18 to 35 can look at the Youth Mobility Scheme visa.

Can Visarun guarantee my visa?

No. Visarun is a private agency that helps prepare and check applications; it does not issue ETAs or visas, and decisions belong to UKVI and Border Force.