Canada makes changes to entry arrangements, processing fees for visas

New entry arrangements and processing fees have been put in place for Vincentians and other nationalities who require the temporary visitor’s visa to enter Canada.{{more}}

Minister of Citizenship and Imigration Canada, Chris Alexander, in making the announcement, said the changes, which took effect on February 6th, 2014, were designed to appeal to “the needs of international travellers who are looking for flexible, fast and convenient options to come to Canada.”

Key changes include the harmonizing of the single and multiple-entry visa fees, under the temporary resident visa (TRV). Under the new scheme, applicants for the TRV will automatically be considered for a multiple-entry visa, which allows qualified visitors to go to and from Canada for six months at a time, for up to 10 years, without having to reapply each time. The processing fee for visitors applying for stay under the TRV will be reduced from CAD $150 to CAD $100.

Alternatively, visitors applying for study permits will incur a CAD $25 fee increase to make the new application fee CAD $125, while visitors applying for work permits will incur a CAD $5 fee increase, the new application fee being CAD$155.

The fee increases come after a 20-year freeze on visa fees and is designed to relieve some of the burden placed on Canadian taxpayers by more accurately reflecting the real cost of processing applications, a release from the Canadian High Commission in Barbados said.

Currently, Canada welcomes more than 35 million visitors to its shores each year and continues to offer the most competitively priced temporary entry visitor visas, when compared to the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, the release said.

The High Commission is reminding applicants from Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, including St Vincent and the Grenadines, that all visa and immigration applications are processed at the High Commission of Canada in Trinidad only. All fees are payable in Canadian dollars and are non-refundable, regardless of the outcome of your application.

For further information, please consult “Visas and Immigration” at www.trinidadandtobago.gc.ca.