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.
Earlier today, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the addition of 13 countries to the electronic travel authorization (eTA) program. 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.
Effective today, eligible travellers from these countries can benefit from the program:
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
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 the 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, and support for Guyana’s development and anticipates continued cooperation with both the government and private sector of Canada.
