frequently asked questions – GROUP Travel to the USA
The information in this document is current as of April 9, 2025
Ellison Travel & Tours continues to monitor travel advisories and diplomatic developments between Canada and the USA. As a proudly 100% Canadian-owned and operated company and one of Canada’s largest student tour operators, we remain fully committed to providing safe, enriching travel experiences for all our travellers.
Please find below some answers to Frequently Asked Questions that we hope will help prepare our travellers for their journeys in the coming months. We will be updating this page as we continue to have more information, so please check back for updates.
- It is generally required to travel with a valid passport when leaving Canada. Exceptions apply for Canadian students 18 years and under travelling by land with a school or other group.
- A recent Advisory was issued affecting Canadians staying in the USA for over 30 days. This does not apply to Canadian citizens with clear, short-term itineraries under 30 days.
- Border scrutiny has mainly affected long-stay travellers, those working/studying in USA, visa/eTA holders. Travellers requiring Visas/eTAs or born in designated ‘red zone’ countries (i.e., Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen) should be prepared for secondary screening with information printed and available, and contact our office for guidance.
- Those travelling with a passport with a gender marker other than F or M should contact our office for guidance.
- All travellers should have documents ready, and cell phone in pocket; only provide information when specifically requested.
- Air travellers can use the Mobile Passport Control app where available to help assist with the process (not available for all flights/airports): https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control
- For school groups, the Group Leader should have a list (on school letterhead) of all of the travellers’ names and contact information including passport numbers (where applicable).
- Schools should travel with physical access to any consent letters collected from a parent/guardian showing permission to travel, with family contact information. A sample letter of consent has been previously shared and can be found here: http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/children/consent-letter
- The following document is provided to all of our groups and provides some more information: Border Crossing Information for Groups Travelling from Canada to the USA.
There is no immediate threat to Canadians travelling to the USA. We continue to closely monitor any changes to entry requirements or risks associated with travel to the USA through multiple government and other reliable news sources. A recent advisory was issued that affects Canadians staying in the USA for over 30 days, which does not affect our tour groups travelling.
We will advise if there is any change to the Government of Canada warnings or risk levels for travel to your destination in the USA.
We suggest monitoring the Government of Canada website for the most up-to-date information for Canadians travelling outside of the country https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-states. Travellers on non-Canadian passports should continue to monitor entry requirements at www.ellisontravel.com/sherpa.
Once we receive payment for a tour, we secure the trip components with our suppliers and the funds become non-refundable.
At this stage, this would be the equivalent of cancelling the tour and any refunds can only be processed through an insurance claim (see details below).
Each spring, we have thousands of student travellers crossing the Canada-US border, with departures nearly every day during this time.
We will be well-informed of any issues should they arise, and will alert you. We have had no reports of Canadian students being detained or denied entry at the border and our colleagues from other tour operators and supplier partners (such as motorcoach companies) have not experienced this either.
It is crucial to ensure you have the correct entry documents to travel to/from the USA and some tips are also included above to ensure a safe experience. Please refer to the first section above for more information: What are some tips for crossing the border at this time/what can we expect?
In the past when concerns about USA entry requirements have been present, some schools have had an administrator or parent follow the group in a vehicle to the border/airport to ensure all goes smoothly and be available in the odd circumstance that a student is denied entry.
Please note Manulife insurance has indicated there is no coverage for travellers who are denied entry to the border. However, Individuals travelling on non-Canadian passports may have coverage prior to departure should the entry requirements change, preventing them from entering the USA.
For those travellers covered under the Manulife Premium Protection Plan, cancellation coverage is available for individuals or groups. You may be eligible to submit a cancellation claim under the CFAR benefit at 80% of the tour cost (less the insurance premium) and this could be higher depending on the reason for cancellation. Please contact us with questions related to group cancellation coverage. Individuals should contact Manulife for details or to open a personal claim.
Thank you for choosing Ellison Travel & Tours. We’ll keep you updated and are always here to answer any questions.
