Canada Visa/Passport News

Canada’s ruling party, the Liberal Party, seemingly supports the possible introduction of visa-free travel to Ukrainian citizens, reports Ukrainian media outlet, Ukrinform. This is stated on the official response of the Liberal Party directed to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which reads: “During the visit of President Zelensky to Canada in July, our government discussed facilitating the requirements that Ukrainian citizens need to meet for traveling to Canada. Our party is convinced of the need to continue these [...]

While many of the economically developed countries are comping up with anti-immigration policies, Canada has decided to welcome more than 1 million immigrants within the next 3 years. The Canadian minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen presented to the parliament the annual report on immigration.  Minister Hussen, who immigrated to Canada as a 16 years old, said that newcomers have always been welcomed in Canada. “Today, Canada faces new challenges such as an ageing population [...]

The Government of Canada has released details on its immigration levels plan for 2019-2021 period, which replaces the three-year plan introduced in fall 2017. Through the new immigration plan, the government intends to take in 40k more immigrants in Canada in 2020, compared to this year. According to a notice issued by the Government of Canada, the new immigration levels plan is designed to contribute to an immigration system that strengthens the Canadian middle class through economic [...]

Indian nationals and of several Asian countries will have to submit their biometric information upon the submission of their Canada visa application. The new measures, which come into force on December 31, 2018, will be applied to Indian nationals under the sole purpose of identification. The requirement will apply to all those lodging their application for a Canadian visitor visa, work or study permit, permanent residence or asylum in the country. The official website of the government [...]

Ian Young, the SCMP's former International Editor and winner of awards for excellence in investigative reporting and human rights reporting, and the HK News Awards Scoop of the Year, claims “birth tourism in Canada is 100% legal”. Young used the 2014 operational guidelines by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada to back his claims. “Giving birth in Canada does not represent a violation of any terms or conditions which may be applied to a temporary resident,” he cites [...]

A number of 1,470 Jamaicans have become permanent residents in Canada, under the Express Entry immigration application system, since January 2015 to May 2018. According to the Government’s immigration department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), 1,470 Jamaicans have gained permanent residency in Canada within the last three and a half year. However, the IRCC is unable to say how many Jamaicans are currently in the process of application. The Canadian Express Entry program is a system [...]

The Canadian Conservative Party is calling for changes to a law that says all those born in Canadian soil have the right of Canadian citizenship. The highly debated law gives the right of citizenship to babies born in Canada, even if their parents are not Canadian citizens. The Conservatives, which is one of the three main parties in Canada voted last Saturday at the party’s convention in Halifax to end a birthright citizenship. Alice Wong, British Columbia [...]

The latest updates to the Henley Index Passports show that Canadian passport holders are among the luckiest travelers in the world. The index, which is a regularly updated list that ranks passports according to the number of countries that their holders are able to visit without a visa, ranks the Canadian passport as the fifth most powerful in the world. Canadian citizens, who share the fifth place together with Belgium, Ireland and Switzerland passport holders, can visit [...]

The Canadian government has introduced new visa requirements for the nationals of European, African and Middle Eastern countries, who wish to enter Canada. The new requirements, which are expected to come into force by July 31, include the submission or biometrics when applying for a visitor or student visa, work permit and residence to Canada. The collection of biometrics, which permits the Government of Canada to effectively manage identity, facilitate application processing and to make the entrance [...]