Canadian Immigration News

Canada Imposes Visas on St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland

Citizens of St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (St. Vincent), Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland require visas when visiting Canada from September 11, 2012.

As stated in an announcement made by Canada, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney, for the first 48 hours, or until 11:59 p.m. September 12, 2012, citizens of these countries who are in transit to Canada at the time the visa requirement took effect would be able to receive a Temporary Resident Permit on arrival in Canada, free of charge, if they were not otherwise inadmissible to Canada.

"We continue to welcome genuine visitors to Canada," said Minister Kenney. He also indicated that the change helped to protect the integrity of the Canadian immigration system by reducing an unacceptably high number of immigration violations. This change aims to ensure that those seeking to visit Canada intend to return to their country of origin, rather than overstaying or committing other immigration violations.

Under the change, nationals from St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland need to apply for a Canadian visitor visa if they want to travel to Canada. They also have to meet the following requirements to receive a visa:

• the applicants can satisfy visa officers that their visit to Canada is temporary;
• they will not overstay their authorized stay;
• they have enough money to cover their stay;
• they are in good health;
• they do not have a criminal record;
• and they are not a security risk to Canadians.

Visa applicants from St. Lucia and St. Vincent can now submit their applications by mail or in person to the Canadian visa office in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Visa applications from Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland will be accepted by the visa office in Pretoria, South Africa.

If you are interested in Immigration to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.