Norval, March 29, 2009 — Visitors from Croatia will no longer be required to obtain a temporary resident visa, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.
“In Canada we have hundreds of thousands of people with Croatian ancestry,” said Minister 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.”
In 2008, 3,699 temporary resident visas were issued to citizens of Croatia to come to Canada.
The Government of Canada conducted a comprehensive country review of Croatia, including a technical visit in December 2008. Visa policy decisions are based on a country-by-country assessment of a number of criteria such as socio-economic profile, immigration issues, travel documents, safety and security issues, border management, human rights, and bilateral relations.
“Removing the visa requirement will facilitate travel for Croatian citizens to Canada and will help improve ties between our two countries” said Minister Kenney.
By law, all visitors to Canada require a temporary resident visa, except citizens of countries where an exemption has been granted. For a complete list of countries and territories whose citizens require a visa, please visit CIC’s website at www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Alykhan.Velshi@cic.gc.ca
Media Relations Unit
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
