CANADA: EU Trade Agreement Signed and New Visa Free Citizens Announced

November 3, 2016

Our latest Canadian update includes the historic trade agreement between Canada and Europe and the proposal for visa-free entry into Canada for Brazil, Bulgaria and Romania.

Canada and Europe Sign Historic Trade Agreement

After many years of negotiation and some last minute diplomacy, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed by Canada and the European Union on 30^th October.  The agreement will eliminate 99% of the tariffs between Canada and the EU when it is fully implemented.  CETA also includes provisions for trade in services and labour mobility. 

Next Steps:

Officials expect that the agreement will be ratified quickly by the Canadian and European parliaments.  It will then need to be ratified by all 28 of Europe”s national parliaments; however, 98% of the agreement will come into force when ratified by Canada and Europe.

Canada Plans Visa-Free Entry for Citizens of Brazil, Bulgaria and Romania

The Canadian Government announced that citizens of Brazil will be able to apply for an ETA  instead of a Canadian visa, on 1^st May 2017 if they have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years or if they have a valid US nonimmigrant visa.  Citizens of Brazil, who do not meet one of those two criteria, will be required to obtain a visa. 

Romanian and Bulgarian citizens who have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years or currently hold a valid US nonimmigrant visa will be eligible to apply for an ETA instead of a visa on 1^st May 2017.  All citizens of Romania and Bulgaria will be eligible to apply for an ETA on 1^st December 2017.  The visa restrictions were lifted as part of the CETA agreement. 

If you require any additional information regarding any of the above updates please contact a member of our team at [email protected]