Canada reinstates pilot visa-free travel program

Travel agencies yesterday welcomed Canada's decision to reinstate its transit without a visa pilot program, saying the move would bring convenience to Taiwanese travelers transiting through Vancouver International Airport en route to and from the US.

"The announcement will make it much more convenient for travelers on this route," said Monica Liu (劉承懿), supervisor at the Federal Vacation Co Ltd (飛瑞旅行社), of Canada's recent announcement on the resumption of the program.

The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei announced last month that effective June 28, nationals from Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand travelling on certain airlines, who are transiting through Vancouver International Airport en route to and from the US, will be able to transit through Canada without recieving a temporary resident visa.

The airlines include Air Canada, China Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Philippines Airlines.

"We now feel confident that we are resuming this program in an environment that is secure for travelers using the Vancouver hub to access points to North America," said Edward Lipman, representative of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, of his government's decision to resume the program.

The program was initially suspended after the attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11 last year, when Canada joined with the US to ensure a much higher level of security upon entry into North American, Lipman said.

Travel agencies said the resumption of the program will save both travelers as well as travel agents lots of trouble.

"Although it doesn't cost a penny to apply for a temporary resident visa from Canada, the move is nonetheless time-consuming," Liu said.

"I've even heard cases in which travelers, who knew nothing about the suspension of the program and thus didn't get the transit visa before flying to Vancouver, were forbidden to depart from the CKS international airport," Liu added.