30 March 2009

Croatians no longer need Canadian visa to enter temporarily

A Canadian visa will no longer be necessary for Croatian nationals visiting Canada.

By allowing Croatia to be part of the Canadian visa waiver programme, the Canadian government is giving thousands of Croatians who visit Canada easier travel to the country.  In 2008, 3,699 Croatians visited Canada, which has been attributed to the large population of Canadian migrants who originated from Croatia.

"In Canada we have hundreds of thousands of people with Croatian ancestry," said Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. "This new change means that people wanting to visit their family or come as tourists to take in the sights of this country are able to do so without a visa."

The relaxed rules for the temporary Canadian visa for Croatians is the result of an extensive review by the Canadian Government into the immigration policies and border security in Croatia, and the Canadian Government concluded that there are grounds to allow Croatian nationals to become part of their visa waiver programme.

Prior to these changes, Croatians had to apply for a temporary resident visa to visit Canada.

"Removing the visa requirement will facilitate travel for Croatian citizens to Canada and will help improve ties between our two countries," said Minister Kenney.

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