No plans to lift Canada visa requirements for Czech tourists
October 05 2009 by Ranjan Chakraborty
Canadian immigration officials have revealed they do not currently plan to lift their visa requirements for tourists from the Czech Republic.
According to Valerie Raymond, the new Canadian ambassador to the Czech Republic, the Canadian immigration department "remains committed" to reestablishing visa-free travel for Czech nationals.
"At the moment, since the imposition of the visa in mid-July we have had more than 3,000 applications from Czech nationals to visit Canada and more than 99 per cent acceptance," she told the Czech News Agency.
"So we continue to welcome Czech travellers to Canada. We will continue to facilitate the visa process so that it is as smooth and simple as possible for the time being."
Czech tourists who wish to travel to Canada are able to apply for a tourist visa in Vienna in person, by mail, courier or through a travel agent - or they may submit Canadian visa applications to the country's embassy in Prague.
The European Commission has threatened to propose counter-measures if Canadian immigration officials do not lift the visas by the end of this year.
The Canada visa restrictions were imposed in July in response to large numbers of refugee claims being made by Czech Romanies who complained about discrimination in their native country.
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