Short answer: as a lawful permanent resident of the United States you do not need a Canadian visitor visa and you do not need an electronic travel authorization (eTA). If you are flying to Canada, bring a valid passport from your country of nationality plus your valid green card, and be ready to show both at check-in and at the border. If you are entering by land or by water directly from the US or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, IRCC says you only need your green card or equivalent valid proof of status, and you do not need to provide your passport. A great deal of advice online still tells green card holders to buy an eTA before flying. They should not, and IRCC states so directly. This guide covers what the rules actually are, why they attach to your US status rather than your citizenship, and what changes when you stop visiting Canada and start thinking about working or immigrating there. It is educational information, not legal advice; verify current requirements on IRCC sources before you travel.
Do green card holders need a visa or an eTA for Canada?
No to both. IRCC's entry requirements page lists the travellers who do not need a visa or an eTA to travel to Canada, and the first entry on that list is "a US national or permanent resident". That covers you whether you fly, drive, or arrive by boat.
The eTA point matters because so much stale advice says otherwise. On the official eTA application page, IRCC writes that as of April 26, 2022, lawful permanent residents of the United States are exempt from the eTA requirement. The eTA information page repeats it: lawful permanent residents of the United States who hold valid status in the US are exempt from the eTA requirement, and instead must carry official proof of status and a valid passport from their country of nationality. If a website is offering to sell you an eTA as a green card holder, it is selling you something you do not need.
Both exemptions are set out in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. IRPR s.190(1)(c) exempts from the temporary resident visa requirement "a national of the United States or a person who has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence". IRPR s.7.1(3)(b) uses the same wording to exempt that person from the eTA requirement. One sentence in the regulations, two separate exemptions, and both of them turn on your US permanent residence.
What none of this changes: admissibility. Being exempt from a visa and an eTA means you do not need advance authorization to seek entry. A Canada Border Services Agency officer still assesses every traveller at the port of entry, and a criminal record, a previous refusal, or an unconvincing account of why you are coming can still result in a shorter authorized stay or a refusal. Visitors are also subject to the usual default authorized period of up to six months per entry under IRPR s.183(2), at the officer's discretion.
What to carry: flying versus driving
IRCC splits the document requirement by mode of travel, and the split is real, not cosmetic. Entering Canada by air, you must bring a valid passport from your country of nationality (or an equivalent acceptable travel document) and a valid permanent resident (green) card, or equivalent valid proof of status in the US. You show both documents at check-in and at the border. The airline will check them before it lets you board.
Entering Canada by land or water directly from the US or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, IRCC states that you only need to provide your valid permanent resident (green) card, or equivalent valid proof of status in the US, and that you do not need to provide your passport. In practice, carrying your passport anyway costs nothing and covers you for a change of plan, a re-routed return flight, or an officer who wants more identity evidence. Note also that IRCC's eTA information page states the passport and proof of status requirement without the by-land carve-out, so the two pages are written at different levels of detail. The mode-specific entry requirements page is the more detailed and more recently updated of the two, and travelling with both documents satisfies either reading.
IRCC publishes a specific list of acceptable proof of status documents for US permanent residents, which matters when your card is expired or replaced. It accepts: a valid permanent resident (green) card (Form I-551); a non-US passport with either a valid temporary I-551 stamp (an ADIT stamp) or a temporary I-551 printed note on an immigrant visa with a US Customs and Border Protection admission stamp; an expired green card (Form I-551) together with Form I-797 (Notice of Action) for a pending Form I-751 or Form I-829, or together with Form I-797 for a pending Form I-90; a valid re-entry permit (Form I-327); and Form I-94 with an unexpired temporary I-551 stamp plus a passport-style photo.
What this means for you: an expired green card can still work, but only if you hold the specific paired document IRCC lists. An expired card with nothing else attached is not on the list. Check your own combination against the IRCC list before you leave, and remember that your ability to re-enter the United States afterwards is a US question governed by US rules, not something Canada decides.
The exemption follows your US status
This is the point that resolves most of the confusion. Green card holders are not visa-exempt because of where their passport is from. They are exempt because of what they are: a person lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence, in the words of IRPR s.190(1)(c) and s.7.1(3)(b). The exemption is status-based.
The practical consequence is significant. If you are a citizen of a country whose nationals normally need a Canadian visitor visa, your US permanent residence still exempts you. You do not apply for a temporary resident visa, and you do not apply for an eTA either. You still need your passport as a travel document when flying. It does not determine the requirement.
The reverse consequence matters just as much. The exemption depends on holding valid US permanent resident status, and IRCC's wording is explicit about "valid status in the US". If your status lapses, is abandoned, or is revoked, the exemption goes with it and you fall back on whatever your country of citizenship requires: a visitor visa, or an eTA, depending on your nationality. Our free visa and eTA checker shows what that fallback would be for your passport, which is worth knowing before you need it.
One more distinction worth keeping straight: US citizens and US permanent residents are treated identically for the visa and eTA questions, but not for everything else. The differences show up the moment you move from visiting to working, which is the next section.
The rule
As a lawful permanent resident of the United States you do not need a Canadian visitor visa and you do not need an electronic travel authorization (eTA).
Working and immigrating: CUSMA, Express Entry, and the H-1B question
Start with the disappointment. The CUSMA (USMCA) professional work permit, the LMIA-exempt route that lets qualifying US professionals work in Canada quickly, is not available to green card holders. CUSMA Chapter 16 defines a "business person" as "a citizen of a Party", and permanent residence is not citizenship. IRCC's own free trade agreement tool is keyed to country of citizenship, and where an agreement does extend to permanent residents it says so explicitly: the CPTPP entries for Australia and New Zealand read "(or permanent resident)". The CUSMA entries for the United States and Mexico carry no such extension. If you want to work in Canada as a green card holder, you are looking at the standard routes: an employer-supported work permit, an LMIA-based permit, or one of the other International Mobility Program streams, none of which turn on your US status.
Now the good news, which is about permanent residence rather than temporary work. Express Entry does not care what passport you hold or where you live. The Federal Skilled Worker Program is explicitly designed for skilled workers with foreign work experience, and IRCC states that qualifying skilled work experience must have been obtained within the last 10 years, "in Canada or abroad", in NOC TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3, as paid work amounting to at least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total. Your US work experience counts on exactly the same terms as anyone else's. So does a US degree, once it has been through an Educational Credential Assessment. Estimating your score with our CRS calculator is a reasonable first move before you commit to any pathway.
The H-1B connection is worth naming because a large share of green card holders spent years on an H-1B first, and many still have colleagues stuck in the same backlog. The Canadian options for H-1B holders are a distinct topic with its own permits and timelines, and our H-1B to Canada guide covers them. If you are already a permanent resident, you have cleared that particular queue, but the Express Entry analysis in that guide applies to you in much the same way.
One useful operational detail: IRCC's port-of-entry rules generally prevent people from leaving Canada and re-entering through the US or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon just to access immigration services, but they list exceptions, and a "citizen or lawful permanent resident of the US" is one of them. That means the practice sometimes called flagpoling is not categorically closed to you the way it is to many other travellers. It is still an application, an officer still decides, and the underlying eligibility still has to be there. Confirm the current rules on canada.ca before you plan around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do US green card holders need an eTA to fly to Canada?
No. IRCC says lawful permanent residents of the United States have been exempt from the eTA since April 26, 2022, and IRPR s.7.1(3)(b) sets that exemption in law. When you fly, carry a valid passport from your country of nationality plus your valid green card or equivalent proof of status. The airline checks both before you board. Sites that still sell eTAs to green card holders are out of date.
What documents do I need to drive into Canada with a green card?
Your valid green card, or equivalent valid proof of US status, is enough when you enter by land or water directly from the US or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. IRCC says you do not need to provide your passport. Carrying it anyway costs nothing and covers a change of plans, such as flying home. Expect the usual questions about your purpose and length of stay. Our Visiting Canada from the US guide covers the border visit.
Can US green card holders enter Canada with an expired card?
Only with a paired document from IRCC's list. An expired green card (Form I-551) is accepted together with Form I-797 for a pending Form I-751, I-829 or I-90. A valid re-entry permit (Form I-327), or a passport with a valid temporary I-551 stamp, also works. An expired card on its own is not on the list. Check your documents against the proof-of-status list in this guide before you leave.
Does my country of citizenship matter if I have a green card?
No, not for the visa or eTA question. IRPR s.190(1)(c) and s.7.1(3)(b) exempt "a person who has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence", whatever passport that person holds. Your passport is still your travel document when you fly. If your US status lapses or is revoked, the exemption ends and your citizenship decides again. Our Visa & eTA Checker shows what your passport alone would need.
How long can a US green card holder visit Canada?
Visitors can generally stay up to six months per entry under IRPR s.183(2). The border officer decides the length and can set a shorter stay. The green card exempts you from the visa and the eTA, but admissibility still applies, so a criminal record or a past refusal can lead to a shorter stay or a refusal. Our guide How Long Can You Stay in Canada as a Visitor covers extensions.
Can a green card holder get a CUSMA work permit for Canada?
No. CUSMA Chapter 16 defines a "business person" as "a citizen of a Party", so its work permit categories are open to citizens of Canada, the United States and Mexico, not to permanent residents. IRCC's free trade agreement tool flags permanent residents only where an agreement covers them, as the CPTPP does for Australia and New Zealand. Green card holders use the standard work permit routes. Our CUSMA Work Permit guide explains the route.
Does my US work experience count for Express Entry?
Yes, on the same terms as any foreign work experience. IRCC requires skilled experience from the last 10 years, in Canada or abroad, in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, totalling at least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours. A US degree can earn points once it has an Educational Credential Assessment. Your green card adds no points and costs none. Our CRS Calculator estimates your Express Entry score.
Related Resources
Americans Moving to Canada
The pathways and how US citizens differ from you
H-1B to Canada
Work permit and PR options for H-1B holders
CUSMA Work Permit
The LMIA-exempt route and why citizenship is required
Visiting Canada from the US
The rules that apply to US citizens
Visa & eTA Checker
What your passport would need without the green card
CRS Calculator
Estimate your Express Entry score
Part of:Visiting Canada
- Super Visa Income Requirements 2026
- Can You Work or Study on a Visitor Visa in Canada?
- Biometrics for Canadian Immigration: What You Need to Know
The textbook on this subject
Volume 1: Entering Canada $79
Every admissibility ground in Canadian law, explained with the official text cited.
Official sources
This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.