Canada is introducing visa-free travel: Sean Fraser, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, was in Winnipeg today for a visa-free travel announcement.
Air travel to Canada will no longer require a Temporary Resident Visa for citizens of thirteen additional nations. This restriction applies only to travelers from these nations who have held a Canadian visa within the past ten years or a legitimate United States nonimmigrant visa. Included among eligible travelers are passport holders from:
- 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
Visa-Free Travel to Canada
There are over 50 countries whose citizens can access Canada without a visa; however, the majority require Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) for air travel.
Citizens of the United States do not need an eTA or a visa to enter Canada unless they intend to work or study there.
Nationals of non-exempt countries are required to register for a Temporary Residence Visa (TRV), also known as a visitor visa.
A TRV permits a person to visit Canada for up to six months (though this may vary for certain foreign nationals).
Arriving in Canada with a TRV does not grant the holder permission to work or study in Canada, and they may be asked at their port of entry to demonstrate that their visit is transient (such as tourism or visiting family).
Currently, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is working through a backlog of TRV applications. The most recent backlog data from IRCC indicates that 50 percent of TRV applications are not being processed within the 14-day service standard.
Minister Fraser stated that the recent strike by the Public Service Alliance of Canada had an effect on TRV applications. The 12-day strike lasted from April 19 to May 1, and Fraser told reporters that 100,000 otherwise-processed applications were not handled during that time.
Additionally, he stated that he expects IRCC to catch up to pre-pandemic processing standards within the next few weeks or months.
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