BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – NATIONALS of St. Kitts and Nevis and holders of the Federation passport as of today (Nov. 22) are required to obtain a visa before entry into Canada.
This is according to a press release from the Canadian High Commission in Barbados.
The release stated that due to concerns with the twin-island Federation’s issuance of passports and identity management practices with its Citizenship by Investment Programme, the Canadian Government has implemented the visa requirement on visitors travelling to that country from St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Canada is acting to protect the safety and security of Canadians and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system. The visa requirement will ensure that Canada will be able to properly determine the true identity of St. Kitts and Nevis passport holders and to deny entry to those who would otherwise be inadmissible to Canada,” the release read.
It stated that Canada continues to welcome genuine visitors and has a number of programmes, including a multiple-entry visa, to make it easy for those genuine visitors to travel to the North American country.
It also stated that Canada remains committed to facilitating visa processing for legitimate travellers and citizens of the Federation could apply online for a visitor visa to travel to Canada or submit a paper application in person or by mail or courier to any Visa Application Centre (VAC), including the VAC in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
The release declared that it currently takes 14 days or less for the processing of a visitor’s visa at the VAC in Port-of-Spain. While on a visit to the Federation, High Commissioner to Barbados Richard Hanley said: “Canada welcomes genuine visitors from St. Kitts and Nevis, and we are committed to making it as easy as possible for travellers to get a visa to come to Canada. The visa requirement will help us facilitate the entry of legitimate travellers, while preventing those who are inadmissible or pose a risk to our country from travelling to Canada.”
The release added that some 960 residents from St. Kitts and Nevis had travelled to Canada.
According to Canada’s Sun News, “A Canadian government source said authorities have evidence that people with ties to terrorist organizations and organized crime are using the easily obtained St. Kitts passport to avoid immigration screening.”
The online media house also said that Canadian authorities are concerned that people who would not otherwise be eligible to enter Canada for security reasons could change their names and sneak into that country using the Federation’s passports.
Sun News also said: “People who invest between $250,000 and $400,000 into certain sectors of the St. Kitts economy are eligible for lifetime citizenship, through a government investment program,” and added that, according to a source “St. Kitts passport applicants can easily change their name, and the passport doesn't require prior names to be included in the document”.
It also noted that the source said the majority of St. Kitts passport buyers are from Syria and Iran and that "questionable individuals" have received St. Kitts passports.
In 2013, it was reported that an Iranian national named Alizera Moghadam was denied entry into Canada with a St. Kitts-Nevis passport, which he alleged claimed to have paid $1M to acquire same.
It was also reported that he claimed his visit to that country was to meet with the Prime Minister.
In response to questions concerning Moghadam’s possession of the passport, the Federal Government said that in January 2013 he was appointed a special envoy for St. Kitts and Nevis to Turkey and Azerbaijan after acquiring citizenship under the Federation’s Citizenship by Investment Programme.
