Canada Excludes Nigeria, Grants Visa-free Travel to Morocco, Seychelles, 11 Others

Nigerians who nurse the ambition to visit Canada are faced with a daunting task as the Canadian authorities have excluded the country but added two African nations to its visa-free travel list.

The Canadian authorities announced visa-free travel for visitors from 13 different countries in Asia, Africa, Central and South America.

The Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser, made the disclosure in a statement on Tuesday, June 6.

According to the Canadian government, the visa-free travel is extended to Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts-Nevis, Panama, Argentina, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Morocco, Seychelles, st. Vincent and the Grenadines, Thailand and the Philippines.

Two African countries that made the list were Morocco and Seychelles but the most populous nation in the continent failed to make the cut.

The statement reads in part:

“An expansion of the electronic travel authorization better known as the eTA programs makes it easier for “known travellers” from those countries to come here for fun and business.

Sean said the expansion not only enhances convenience for travellers but is also meant to increase travel, tourism and economic benefits, as well as to strengthen global bonds with the aforementioned countries.

He also stressed that travellers from 13  countries would save a lot of money as a result of the visa exemptions.

Politics Nigeria understands that a visitor visa currently costs $100 per person and $500 for a family of five or more, but an eTA only costs seven dollars per person and is valid for five years.