On June 7, Sean Fraser, the minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, made a statement about visa-free travel while in Winnipeg.
13 nation passport holders will now be able to fly to Canada without acquiring a visa for temporary residence. This only applies to visitors from these nations who has either recently held a Canadian visa or who now have a valid United States non-immigrant visa.
13 Countries Visa Free Travel
Travelers with the following passports are eligible:
- Philippines
- Morocco
- Panama
- Barbuda and Antigua
- Nevis and St. Kitts
- Vincent and the Grenadines
- Lucia
- Tobago and Trinidad
- Argentina
- In Costa Rica
- Uruguay
- Seychelles
- Thailand
What did Fraser say?
Fraser claims that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have been attempting to simplify, expedite, and lower the cost of the pre-travel screening procedure. According to him, this will allow IRCC to process visa applications more quickly by diverting thousands of applications from Canada’s docket.
In 2017, a comparable pilot program was launched in Brazil. According to the minister, the program was successful in increasing Brazilian visitors by 40% and decreasing the burden at the IRCC office in Sao Paulo by 60%, freeing up IRCC employees to work on more complicated applications.
Visa free travel to Canada
More than 50 nations can travel to Canada visa-free, although most of them need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) if they fly in.
Unless they are moving to Canada for business or school, United States citizens do not need a visa or an eTA to enter the country.
Foreign nationals must apply for a Temporary Residence Visa (TRV), often known as a visitor visa if they are not exempt from needing one.
An individual with a TRV is able to travel to Canada for six months (however this may be different for other foreign nationals).
Stay tuned with Sernexuss Immigration for the latest immigration news and updates!
