Canada has announced the addition of Saint Lucia to its Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) program, enabling visa-free travel.
In a release on Tuesday, the High Commission of Canada in Barbados outlined the requirements.
According to the release, Saint Lucian citizens who have either held a Canadian visa in the last ten years or 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.
The release said visa-free air travel would make it faster, easier, and more affordable for thousands of known travellers from Saint Lucia to visit Canada for up to six months for either business or leisure.
“It will also help facilitate more travel, tourism and international business between our countries and help strengthen people-to-people and cultural ties,” it observed.
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 travelling to Canada by means other than air, such as by car, bus, train, and boat, including cruise ships, will still need a visitor visa.
The Canadian High Commission release explained that travellers could visit Canada.ca/etA to find out if they are eligible for an eTA and how to apply for one.
“This exciting development means that more individuals from Saint Lucia can now 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,” declared Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser.
“This expansion not only enhances convenience for travellers; it will also
increase travel, tourism and economic benefits, as well as strengthen our bond with Saint Lucia,” Fraser stated.
Saint Lucia is one of the 13 additional countries whose eligible citizens may now benefit from visa-free travel.
Over the last ten years, Canada issued 9,176 temporary resident visas to citizens from Saint Lucia.
The Canadian High Commission release said these individuals and current US non-immigrant visa holders may now be eligible for visa-free travel.
Sounds like Canadian businesses are running out of slaves to work their ‘plantations’; so, the search is on for those so desperate that they will not murmur when paid $2 to $3 per hour – the equivalent of double what they currently earn as security guards in St. Lucia.
All in all, a win-win situation: Cheap labor for massa – he does not have to provide healthcare & living expenses while his slaves work off the books; higher standard of living for slaves – albeit delusional, till the truth of their ‘captivity’ becomes apparent.
Ok I qualify. Now you st Lucian’s better don’t go and spoil things for us just like you all did with Canada before. I suspect though that these people realise we not in a hurry to travel and stay in their country. Life hard in those countries. You can only get stay if u married. Forget education. And many people not willing to put that burden of marriage on them just to stay in you all country. And plus the heavy discrimination that we have to deal with which limit work and salary opportunities.The third world is opening their eyes now. That’s why we insist on good governance and we want crooks out of office. A better island is good for us and our kids.
so what if you meet both requirements and you are travelling to Canada other than by means of air?
i think they doing this so that more saint lucians and others can come and work cause since the pandemic the Canadians dont want to go to work. I wonder also what happened to the seasonal farmers that travelled to work there. it was said they were being treated badly
Great initiative!!!
As a Canadian living in Saint Lucia, this is fantastic. Canadians love the Saint Lucian people.
This has nothing to do with “going to work” in Canada. It is just for visiting as a tourist. That’s it! And by the way, even if we qualify, the “offer” is only for travel by air. Anything else, y’all have to get a visa. It costs CA$100.
.modern day slavery it’s like they want Luciana to come and do the dirty work for them in Canada very soon the government will enact a minimum wage so people won’t be working for 3 to 5 EC dollars an hour in st Lucia
These countries might as well allow educated Caribbean people (for teaching and health roles) as well as trades people to come to Canada or the US for 6 months at a time to work. So just arrange it around the school time table for instance. The Caribbean is small, if they say they have a degree, you can easily verify this. Also, our accents are different to the Asian and African ones, just in case of any fraud! . We in the English-speaking Caribbean, dont go around giving fake degrees to no one. So as the English-speaking Caribbean, we have much to offer compared to others. Among them, degree and qualifications transparency and the fact that we like to retire back in our home countries. So we are not a burden on your country in old age. we just want to make some cash and you people have bigger opportunities. So get cracking on allowing work from the English-speaking Caribbean people who are on 6 months stays. Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, UK, come on with the policies for the English-speaking Caribbean!
But read to understand. It is a visitor’s program. Just to allow you to come see your folks and go back home. I see nothi g welcoming folks to work. You just dont need a Canadian viza if you have a US visor or if you have already had a ca. Visa. That all….
So, y’all eh post my first comment.
It’s NOT visa free travel. People without a US Visa still CANNOT travel to Canada. Canada has just saved themselves the burden associated with implementing visa requirements by allowing the US to bear that cost for them.
It’s NOT visa free travel
Oh boy there we go again with the Slave thing honestly most of you Saint Lucians really need to get educated
@758 real ,ok well The release said visa-free air travel would make it faster, easier, and more affordable for thousands of known travellers from Saint Lucia to visit Canada for up to six months for either business or leisure” so if you go there for business isn’t business considered work?
Think someone already said it “read to understand” I will add to it by saying read twice and three times.
Chas is the one who facilitated this “free” travel to Canada. At least this is what his mind and his cronies will tell him to say. Just wait!
Come, see, spend and go back home.
These people living in a freaking icebox and they acting like people want to come there.
They should be kissing people’s …, begging them to come to Canada but they want to impose Visas? Tell them to go to hell with their foolishness.