Canada for South African ex-pats. Image: Pexels
Canada opens up visa-free entry for 13 countries
See the list of nationalities that no longer need to obtain entry visas before travelling to Canada for tourism purposes.
Canada for South African ex-pats. Image: Pexels
Canada has rolled out visa-free travel arrangements for passport holders from 13 countries.
Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, made the announcement on 6 June.
ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES
In an effort to streamline travel processes and alleviate the burden on its visa processing caseload, Canada has announced visa-free travel for passport holders from additional countries. The countries include :
- Philippines
- Morocco
- Panama
- Antigua and Barbuda
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Argentina
- Costa Rica
- Uruguay
- Seychelles
- Thailand
Passport holders from these countries will be able to travel to Canada without needing to apply for entry visas in advance.
However, eligible travellers who wish to travel to Canada under the visa-free travel program do need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).
The eTA is a travel authorization that allows eligible travellers to fly to Canada without a visa.
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NO JOY FOR SA
While South Africa and neighbouring countries were not included in the list, Seychelles and Morocco have been added to Canada’s list of visa-free nationalities.
As a number of South Africans hold dual nationality this news might be beneficial to South Africans who have passports of the countries that were included in the list.
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BENEFITS OF VISA-FREE REGIME
The visa-free travel arrangements will offer a number of benefits to both Canada and the eligible countries.
For Canada, the program will help to attract more tourist visitors from eligible countries, which will, in turn, boost the country’s economy.
This decision is also expected to divert a number of applications from Canada’s visa backlog, thereby enhancing the efficiency of visa processing.
