Canada has announced that 13 countries have been qualified for visa-free access to its country, but Guyana did not make the list.
In light of this, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) issued a statement renewing its calls for visa-free travel between Guyana and Canada.
Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser has announced the addition of 13 countries to the electronic travel authorization (eTA) program, noting that travellers from these countries who have either held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or who currently hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa can now apply for an eTA instead of a visa when travelling to Canada by air.
The countries are: 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, and Uruguay.
“Introducing visa-free air travel will make it faster, easier, and more affordable for thousands of travellers to visit Canada for up to six months for either business or leisure. It will also help grow Canada’s economy by facilitating more travel, tourism and international business, and by strengthening Canada’s relationships with these countries while keeping Canadians safe. This decision will also divert thousands of applications from Canada’s visa caseload, allowing us to process visa applications more efficiently, which will benefit all visa applicants,” the Government of Canada explained on its website.
See full statement from the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI):
The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) notes an announcement emanating from the Government of Canada which indicates that 13 countries have qualified to receive visa-free access to the country. This list includes Latin American and Caribbean territories, and others. The GCCI welcomes that the Government of Canada remains receptive to allowing visa-free access to its territory and views this as a positive move to engender economic growth.
In light of this move, the Chamber of Commerce would like to take the opportunity to reiterate its call for visa-free access for Guyanese to Canada.
Having established diplomatic relations with Guyana since 1964, the two countries have developed strong economic and commercial ties, developed on mutual respect for democracy and enterprise.
Currently, Guyana is the third largest merchandising partner with Canada in the Caribbean Community and is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The GCCI itself continues to deepen relations with Canada, having established MoUs with a number of sister agencies in the country, hosting and fielding trade missions and continuing to work to support partnerships between Guyanese and Canadian companies.
With a diaspora in excess of 85,000 in Canada, the GCCI believes that removal of the visa restriction of Guyanese to Canada will serve to engender improved trade relations, support deeper commercial and economic ties and support economic growth for both territories.
The GCCI thanks the Government of Canada and the Canadian people for its continued leadership role in global affairs, support for Guyana’s development and anticipates continued cooperation with both the government and private sector of Canada.
