Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Visa extensions ($75) need to be filed with the
CIC Visitor Case Processing Centre
(
888-242-2100;
8am-4pm Mon-Fri) in Alberta at least one month before your cur-
rent visa expires.
Visiting the USA
Admission requirements are subject to rapid change. The
US State Department
(
www.travel.state.gov
)
has the latest information, or check with a US consulate in your
home country.
Under the US visa-waiver program, visas are not required for citizens of 36 countries -
including most EU members, Australia and New Zealand - for visits of up to 90 days (no
extensions allowed), as long as you can present a machine-readable passport and are
approved under the
Electronic System for Travel Authorization
(ESTA;
www.cbp.gov/
esta
) . Note you must register at least 72 hours before arrival and there's a $14 fee for
processing and authorization.
Canadians do not need visas, though they do need a passport or document approved
by the
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
(
www.getyouhome.gov
) . Citizens of all
other countries need to apply for a US visa in their home country before arriving in
Canada.
All visitors, regardless of their country of origin, are subject to a US$6 entry fee at land
border crossings. Note that you don't need a Canadian multiple-entry TRV for repeated
entries into Canada from the USA, unless you have visited a third country.
Volunteering
Volunteering provides the opportunity to interact with local folks and the land in ways you
never would just passing through. Many organizations charge a fee, which varies depend-
ing on the program's length and the type of food and lodging it provides. The fees usually
do not cover travel to Canada. Groups that use volunteers:
Churchill Northern Studies Centre
(
www.churchillscience.ca
) Volunteer for six hours
per day (anything from stringing wires to cleaning) and get free room and board at this
center for polar bear and other wildlife research.
Earthwatch
(
www.earthwatch.org
) Help scientists track whales off the coast of British
Columbia, track moose and deer in Nova Scotia, and monitor climate change in Churchill,
Manitoba or the Mackenzie Mountains of the Northwest Territories. Trips last from seven
to 14 days and cost from $2250 to $5050.
Volunteers for Peace
(
www.vfp.org
) Offers tutoring stints in Aboriginal communities in
Canada's far north, as well as projects in Québec.
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