Earlier this week, the Canadian government published a communique exempting Dominica from its Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) programme – an initiave which enabled the citizens of other eligible Caribbean nations to travel to Canada without visas.
But on Thursday, the government of Canada included Dominica and Grenada in its CAN+ programme – which means that the citizens of both countries can enjoy expedited visa processing to Canada. According to Canada’s High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee, Dominicans and Grenadians possessing valid US visas or who held Canadian visas in the last 10 years can now obtain expedited visa processing to enable them visit Canada.
While the exclusion of Dominica from Canada’s updated ETA programme drew ire from thousands of Dominicans within and outside the Island, the new CAN+ programme helped to calm the nerves of citizens across the Nature Isle.
“Canada values its relations with Dominica,” Chatterjee disclosed. “Glad to announce that Dominica is in the CAN+ program for expedited visa processing for its citizens who had Canadian visas over the past 10 years or valid current US visa.”
The 13 countries that were recently added to the ETA programme are Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Costa Rica, Morocco, Panama, the Philippines, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. While five of these countries are located in the Caribbean, only Dominica and Grenada have been added to the different CAN+ category.
As can be expected, thousands of Dominicans took to social media to express their relief that Dominica can be reckoned with in global affairs after all. But a significant number expressed mixed feelings about the situation, calling the CAN+ inclusion an afterthought. Here is how one online commenter puts it:
“This doesn’t put the ordinary citizens in any better position,” the commenter lamented. “This doesn’t mean that Dominica is re-included into the visa-free programme; it is only trying to apppease the normal traveller to the country within the past 10 years…because they have information on you that the system can process fast…easier [for Canada] to monitor the smaller number of applicants…this appears to be an afterthought following intensive discussions and negotiations.”
One commentor on Facebook, Juanita, stated that the new development seemed to be a “consolation prize” to a hurt bride. “They value their relations with Dominica, but they are not trusting the long and growing list of new Dominican citizens just yet to give them free and open access,” she said. “In a globalized world, maybe they heard or read someplace that illegal immigration is part of Dominica’s culture and they want to do their own security and selection for Dominican applicants…”
As if that is not enough, one commenter vented his anger by saying that “this is just a second slap in the face, this time with a silk glove on. Visa-free is clearly very different from CAN+. If exclusion from the visa-free list was an indication of a lack of trust, then begging for it and getting this response surely is confirmation.”
Another Facebook commentor simply stated that “this is pretty depressing. There was a time when we have visa-free travel to Canada, but because of the short-sightedness and the outright stu***ity of our governments, all of them, we have lost this privilege. This CBI programme is one of the worst decisions ever. It’s a lazy policy; instead of developing out economy and people, we chose the easy way out, and it got worse. Now other Caribbean islands are being restored to grace and we are tossed a crumb…”
The DLP administration is yet to respond to the ETA and the subsequent CAN+ development.
This article is copyright © 2023 DOM767
