Canada grants visa-free travel to 13 countries, according to the latest reports.
The announcement on travel without a visa took place yesterday in Winnipeg by IRCCs minister Sean Fraser. 13 nations’ passport holders will no longer need a temporary residence visa in order to fly to Canada. This only applies to visitors from these nations who have recently held a valid United States non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa within the last ten years. Those with the following passports are eligible travelers:
- Philippines
- Panama
- Morocco
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Antigua and Barbuda
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- Argentina
- St Vincent and Grenadines
- Thailand
- Uruguay
- Seychelles
- Costa Rica
Fraser claims that IRCC has been attempting to streamline, accelerate, and lower the cost of the pretravel screening procedure. According to him, this choice will allow IRCC to process visa applications more quickly by diverting thousands of applications from Canada’s docket.
In 2017, an equivalent pilot program began operation in Brazil. According to the minister, the program successfully increased Brazilian visitors by 40%. It decreased the burden at the IRCC office in Sao Paulo by 60%, enabling IRCC employees to work on more complex applications.
Canada grants visa-free travel to 13 countries
More than 50 nations can travel to Canada visa-free. However, most of them need an Electronic Travel Authorization 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, often known as a guest 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.
The holder of a TRV might have to present proof that their visit to Canada is brief (such as travel or family visits) at their port of entry. Entering the country with a TRV does not grant the holder authorization to work or study there.
There is currently a backlog of TRV applications that IRCC is tackling. According to the IRCC’s most recent backlog data, 50% of TRV applications are not being reviewed within the required 14-day period.
According to Minister Fraser, the recent Public Service Alliance of Canada strike had a ripple effect on TRV applications.
Fraser updated reporters that there were 100,000 applications that would have been handled during the 12-day strike but weren’t because it occurred from April 19 to May 1. Additionally, he stated that he anticipates IRCC will be able to bring numbers up to pre-pandemic processing norms within the next few weeks or months.
