Canada Easing Visa Rules for 13 Countries

I’m thrilled that IRCC has reduced visa requirements today! Thirteen countries in the Caribbean, North Africa, South America & SE Asia are on the list:

• Antigua and Barbuda

• Argentina

• Costa Rica

• Morocco

• Panama

• Philippines

• St. Kitts and Nevis

• St. Lucia

• St. Vincent and the Grenadines

• Seychelles

• Thailand

• Trinidad and Tobago

• Uruguay

Canadians are fortunate in that they don’t have to obtain visas to visit a large number of countries. I’m personally only applied for one tourist visa in my life (Brazil!) and one $100 reciprocity fee from Argentina (which was totally fair to do to Canadians, since Canada asks Argentines to pay $100 to apply for a visa).

The fact that Canada imposes visas on Macedonia is one reason my husband and I didn’t get married in Canada. I’ve lived among people who have lived with severe visa restrictions, which built my empathy for the cost, bureaucracy, and uncertainty associated with a tourist visa application.

I also talk to clients living inside Canada about the challenges associated with their family members coming to visit them, whether that’s the uncertainty of a visa approval or simply the unpredictable timeline! We all know plane tickets do not get cheaper closer to the travel date.
Foreign workers and international students from these countries will also have an easier time going home to visit their families and then coming back to Canada.

My take? This is a great news story.

Before booking that plane ticket, make sure you read the fine print. In order to qualify for an eTA, applicants need to have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years or currently have a US non-immigrant visa. The approach is similar to the one taken with Brazil and Romania in 2017.