Tonto of course

I've been to Toronto a few times on Business....which is what visiting teams are doing. There should be no issue with Visas....I don't imagine any SL clubs will have problems next year....it's just a matter of contacting their embassy/consulate and asking them......then following the instructions to the letter. Criminal convictions may well prevent some players from going.

Makes you wonder. If clubs are having this much of a problem (you can add Barrow who have had this problem 2 years running, & Dewsbury). With 3 months. What the squads of the middle 8's teams are going to be like. Given that at most they have a month, and if you get them in August about a week etc.

Apparently part of the problem is not just to do with criminal records. But also if you have a spent conviction they require relevant paperwork, and this is what's causing problems.

My mate couldn't travel to Canada, because he had been to Afghanistan & Somalia with the British Armed Forces ! Is Donald Trump in charge of their VISA laws ?

The middles 8's are looking more interesting that the Top 8 at moment.

The unknown element in the whole scenario is Leigh. Their inclusion/exclusion could change the landscape of the whole thing. They are in good form and have a track record of winning one off games against Super League opposition.

It is hard to say what will happen until we know if they are in or out.

I suspect that Toronto will be a good bet to go up. They would definitely add to Super League on many levels, most importantly from the clubs perspective, financially.

Toulouse look to have made the 4 but don't look as convincing at Toronto. Again the ESL clubs will want them in the league as they bring their own money and this could prompt an increase in the league to 13 or 14 to accommodate them.

Leigh. The wildcard. Could actually get results and finish higher than Toulouse if they get in the top 4. Doesn't bring the money the other 2 bring but are as good as a Widnes/HKR/Salford in that respect. Three quality teams would get the Super League club sweating.

Not sure the rest have a great chance. They are all doing well but are unlikely to be able to beat the full time professional clubs.

Canada's visa laws have not changed. Remember if you will that when the Wolfpack made their first ever trip from England to Canada in May 2017, two players were refused boarding on that first flight and missed the first ever home game. One was Fui Fui, not sure of the other one. Both arrived for the second game later in May.

At least two League 1 teams had visa issues in 2017, I'm pretty sure Barrow was one.

So it’s possibly more confined to clubs where they have players with criminal records or spent criminal records. But still I despair a little bit that clubs don’t get this sorted as soon as the fixtures are released.

Don't disagree Him.

But you would think 3 months is more than enough timenergy.

What money is that then ? Where is it ? Have you seen it ?

Leigh have a very good track record of bringing the money, 1000+ to 4000+ travelling fans *depending on the game/opponent* !

#ShowMeTheMoney

The problem seems to be when players have to find/provide paperwork relevant to their situation. That can take time. So start early.

Ding ding ding.

Due to injuries, Barrow Raiders brought amateur Ben Garner for their trip to the Wolfpack last month. He joined the team on the Tuesday and was on the flight on the Thursday. Visas can be obtained with no trouble if the requirements are met.

Wolfpack provide the services of an immigration consultant so there really are no excuses.

...and yet players are still struggling to get eTAs. Clearly, when there is a positive answer to one of the questions posed on the application, the process is not as simple and straightforward as all the experts on here claim it to be!

Clearly there’s an issue for some clubs however I’m concerned by Diskins statement that they have been trying to get the visa for 3 months. As if that were a long period of time.

When I go on holiday to America I have my ESTA sorted a lot further in advance than 3 months and I know there isn’t realistically going to be any issue. Why are clubs leaving it so late and not getting the visas sorted as soon as the fixtures are announced?