IRCC says you should hear something within 72 hours. But pending after that window closes doesn’t mean something went wrong—it means your application is on a slower track that is still moving. That slower track exists because a portion of eTA applications can’t be resolved automatically and need a human review, additional documents, or a more detailed background check. The system flags them, routes them differently, and continues processing them. Your application hasn’t been forgotten.
Most eTAs are approved within minutes of submission. The 72-hour figure applies specifically to applications that couldn’t be resolved instantly—IRCC’s own guidance says that if your application needs longer, you should receive an email with next steps within 72 hours of applying. That email may be an approval, a document request, or a notice that processing will continue. If you haven’t received any of those, there are a few things worth checking before you do anything else.
The 72-hour window is not a deadline
It’s easy to read “72 hours” as a promise: apply now, approved by tomorrow evening. It isn’t. The figure describes when you should hear something—not necessarily an approval. For most people, that something arrives in minutes. For a smaller group, the 72-hour email is a holding message that says, in effect, your application is still being reviewed. Some eTA requests may require several days to process beyond that point, and the published processing times are estimates, not maximums or guarantees.
What this means practically: a pending status after 72 hours is a normal state for a subset of applicants. It tells you nothing about whether the decision will be favourable. It just means your file is in the manual review queue rather than the automated one.
Why your application is on the slower track
There’s no single reason an application ends up here, and IRCC doesn’t tell you which factor triggered it. The slower track exists for applications where the automated system couldn’t reach a straightforward decision—that can happen because of travel history, name variations across documents, certain nationalities or dual-citizenship situations, or simply because a file needs a second look that the system can’t perform on its own.
If you’re a dual national or you hold travel documents from more than one country, the eTA rules for dual nationals and which passport to use are worth reviewing separately, because the passport you applied with determines the one you must travel on—and that matters when approval finally arrives.
In some cases, the slower track isn’t a review at all: it’s a document request. IRCC may need something from you before it can proceed. That request comes by email, and if it’s sitting unread in your junk folder, your application will appear to stall indefinitely while the clock runs.
Three things to check right now
1. Your junk or spam folder. This is the most common reason an applicant thinks nothing has happened when something actually has. Automated emails from IRCC are regularly filtered by spam systems. Check every folder—junk, promotions, spam, clutter—for any message from IRCC or from a government of Canada address. If you find a document request in there, read it carefully. The instructions will tell you exactly what to submit and how. You can find more detail on how that process works in the guide to responding to an eTA additional information request.
2. The email address you used to apply. If you have more than one email account, confirm you’re checking the right one. It sounds obvious, but it’s a genuine source of confusion, especially if you applied on a shared device or used a work address you don’t monitor closely.
3. Your application number and client ID. You’ll need these for the status tool. They were included in the confirmation you received when you submitted your application. If you can’t locate that confirmation, retrieve your application details before going further—without the application number, you can’t check the status online.
Using the official status tool
You can check the status of your eTA application once you have your unique client identifier (UCI) or client ID and your application number. The tool will show you the current state of your file. “Pending” or “in progress” simply confirms what you already know—it’s still being reviewed. What you’re looking for is any change in status, or any indication that a document has been requested and not yet submitted.
Don’t check the tool every hour expecting it to update in real time. Status changes tend to happen in steps, not continuously. Check it once a day, and make sure you’re also watching your email, because the approval notification comes by email rather than through the tool. When your eTA is approved, you’ll receive an email containing your eTA number—that number is your confirmation that the authorisation is in place.
Once approval arrives, verify that the passport number in the email matches your actual passport exactly. An eTA is electronically linked to the passport used for the application, and that’s the passport you must present at check-in. Airline staff scan it to confirm the eTA is valid—if the number doesn’t match, you won’t board.
If your flight is in the next few days
This is where the situation becomes genuinely time-sensitive. Obtaining an eTA at the last minute may not be possible, depending on your circumstances. That’s not a scare tactic—it’s the practical reality that some applications take several days, and there’s no mechanism to expedite processing from the applicant’s side.
If your departure is within the next few days and your status is still pending, don’t wait passively. Check your email thoroughly for any document request you may have missed. If there is one and you haven’t responded, respond immediately—an outstanding document request will hold your application until you do.
If there’s no document request and the status simply shows pending, you’re in a waiting position. There’s no queue-jump available to applicants. What you can do is make sure everything else is in order so that the moment approval comes through, you’re ready to travel without any additional complications.
When to contact the airline
Airlines can’t speed up IRCC processing, but they’re a practical contact point when a flight is imminent and an eTA is unresolved. Airline staff encounter this situation regularly. They can tell you what their boarding policy is if an eTA is still pending at check-in, and in some cases they can flag the situation with their own systems.
Contact the airline directly—not through a third-party booking platform—and explain that your eTA is still being processed. Ask specifically what happens if the authorisation hasn’t arrived by the time you check in. Some airlines have more flexibility than others; some will not board a passenger without a confirmed eTA in the system. Knowing their position before you get to the airport is far more useful than finding out at the desk.
If you have travel insurance that covers trip interruption or document delays, this is also the time to review what it covers and what documentation it would require. That’s a separate process from the eTA itself, but worth running in parallel if the flight is close and the outcome is uncertain.