July 14, 2011
A change to the Canadian Immigration rules for Temporary Resident Visa’s for Indian nationals now allows for a new multiple-entry visitor visa valid for a period of 10 years.
International Trade Minister Ed Fast recently addressed the Pravasi Divas Convention for the Indian Diaspora in Toronto. During his address he announced the launch of a new visa process for Indians that travel to Canada frequently. Canadian immigration rules have been changed to allow for a new visa that will be valid for a period of up to 10 years.
This new visa will be of particular help to Indian business professionals that visit Canada regularly on business. Citizenship and Immigration Canada hopes that the visas will ease travel and create additional partnerships and opportunities that could benefit both Canada and India by making travel to Canada more convenient and efficient.
The announcement was made at an address which was primarily dedicated to increasing cooperation between Canada and India with the hope of creating additional jobs and opportunities for the two countries. The Canadian government has become increasingly interested in ways to grow the India-Canada relationship and create new opportunities with India.
The relationship between India and Canada is important as almost 1 million individuals of Indian descent currently live in Canada. Canada is well aware of the many economic opportunities that exist and understands the importance of trade with a growing nation such as India. Trade between Canada and India totalled over $4.2 billion in 2010, while two-way investment reached approximately $7 billion. The importance of India as a trading partner is demonstrated by the fact that the governments of India and Canada are currently engaged in official free trade negotiations. Trade is priority for Canada as it accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the Canadian economy.
The growth of the Canada-India relationship is not restricted solely to economic opportunities. Canada and India enjoy close partnerships in the research and development field, as the two countries are working together in the green energy, high- tech, and bio-tech fields. Canada is also looking to expand its capabilities to attract Indian students. York University’s Schulich School of Business, recently announced the opening of a new campus in India that is slated to offer classes planned beginning in the fall of 2013.
