Filipinos can travel visa-free to Canada Read Next MSC participates in World Environment Day Next article Bernadette E. Tamayo By Bernadette E. Tamayo

UPDATE) OTTAWA on Wednesday said eligible Filipinos now qualify for "visa-free" travel to Canada under its electronic travel authorization (eTA) program. The Canadian Embassy in the Philippines said the decision supports Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, which aims to strengthen relations and invest in people-to-people ties between Canada and the Indo-Pacific region, including the Philippines. The Philippines is one of the 13 additional countries whose eligible citizens may benefit from visa-free travel, the embassy said in a statement posted on Twitter. In the last 10 years, Canada issued 466,936 temporary resident visas to citizens from the Philippines. These individuals, along with US non-immigrant visa holders, are eligible for visa-free travel. The embassy said it costs CA$7 to apply, and most applications are automatically approved within minutes. To apply for an eTA, travelers need only a valid passport, a credit card, an email address and access to the internet. "Introducing visa-free air travel will make it faster, easier and more affordable for thousands of known travelers from [the] Philippines to visit Canada for up to six months for either business or leisure," the embassy said. "With the well-established Filipino diaspora in Canada, we recognize the importance of expanding and simplifying travel between our countries." The embassy said Filipinos who either held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or who currently hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa can apply for an eTA instead of a visa when traveling to Canada by air. Individuals who already have a valid visa can continue to use it to travel to Canada. Those who are not eligible for an eTA, or who are traveling to Canada by means other than air will still need a visitor's visa. Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said expanding the eTA program to include the Philippines "is an important part of our Indo-Pacific Strategy, as we look to further engage in the region, build on people-to-people ties, and make travel to Canada easier, faster and safer for everyone." Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said the move will allow more individuals from the Philippines to "embark on unforgettable adventures, explore our diverse landscapes, reunite with family and friends, and immerse themselves in our vibrant culture without the hurdle of visa requirements." The Department of Foreign Affairs welcomed Canada's announcement. "The new policy is expected to spur travel, stimulate more business opportunities and foster greater interest for family reunification efforts," Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

UP Diliman Professors Share Scientists’ Procurement Struggles at Senate Hearing

By Harvey Sapigao Senate hearing of the revised procurement law (Photo credit: Senate of the Philippines) College of Science (CS) Dean Giovanni Tapang held up a little white device as he finished his presentation. “This is a ₱150,000 component,” he described. “Isa lang gumagawa nito sa buong mundo, pero ang hirap pilitin sila na magregister sa PhilGEPS,” he continued, referring to the requirement that foreign companies must first register to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) before they can sell products to local scientists. Marine Science Institute (MSI) Deputy Director Dr. Irene Rodriguez explained that the small device is a resin that filters metals in water. “May budget tayo,” she said, “pero ang problema ko ay ‘yung resin na ito.” This and other bottlenecks brought about by the procurement law, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), slow down research and development in the country. UPD leaders were invited to the Senate he
Read more

Gaza war rages into fourth month as Blinken tours Middle East Adel Zaanoun with Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, --- Agence France-Presse

The Israel-Hamas war raging in Gaza entered its fourth month on Sunday as the army again pounded the besieged Palestinian territory and US top diplomat Antony Blinken was back in the region seeking to avoid a wider escalation. Israeli airstrikes overnight and early Sunday killed at least 64 people in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory, said its health ministry. It said two journalists were killed when their car was struck. The ministry, medics, and witnesses identified them as Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for Agence France-Presse, and Hamza Wael Dahdouh, the son of Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza who earlier lost his wife and two other children in an Israeli strike. Israeli bombardment also claimed other civilian lives in the southern city of Khan Yunis and in the Rafah area near the Egyptian border, where many of the territory's displaced people have sought refuge, AFP correspondents reported. Relatives were mourning the dead at Khan Yunis' European Hospital, am
Read more