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Visa required for a Polish passport holder? (travelling February 2009)

JimmyYorks

Newbie
Oct 2, 2008
3
0
Does anyone out there know if my girlfriend (a Polish passport holder) will require a Temporary Resident Visa when we visit Canada for a holiday in February 2009?
We're confused because some websites seem to say Poland is now totally exempt from visa requirements, however there is something on the web about things changing on January 1st 2009, when (if we've read it correctly) only biometric (Polish) passport holders will be exempt.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
We've spoken to the Canadian & Polish embassies in the UK (where we both live), and neither of them have given a clear answer.
thank you in advance.

James
 

GK

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Dec 18, 2007
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If you have an old Polish passport that is still valid, then you need a visa. Apply for a new passport and you will get the new (biometric) Polish passport. Then you don't need an entry visa for Canada.
 

ghiaskhan

Hero Member
Many people do not require a visa to visit Canada. These include:

citizens of Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel (National Passport holders only), Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia (Republic of), Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,

Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States, and Western Samoa;

persons lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who are in possession of their alien registration card (Green card) or can provide other evidence of permanent residence;
British citizens and British Overseas Citizens who are re-admissible to the United Kingdom;
citizens of British dependent territories who derive their citizenship through birth, descent, registration or naturalization in one of the British dependent territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena or the Turks and Caicos Islands;

persons holding a British National (Overseas) Passport issued by the Government of the United Kingdom to persons born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong;
persons holding a valid and subsisting Special Administrative Region passport issued by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China;
persons holding passports or travel documents issued by the Holy See.
 

Leon

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Jun 13, 2008
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ghiaskhan said:
Many people do not require a visa to visit Canada. These include:
When you copy and paste from the CIC website, could you please include the URL? The CIC pages will often point the user to different links for more information and it's hard for people to find that if they don't know where exactly to find the page that you copied the information from.
 

ghiaskhan

Hero Member
Please visit
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/business/entrepreneurs/definitions.asp
click visit -->Countries and territories whose citizens require visas in order to enter Canada as visitors----->Also read
Visitor Visa Exemptions
 

JimmyYorks

Newbie
Oct 2, 2008
3
0
Thanks GK for your clear answer, it confirms what we suspected.
Thanks also to the other people who took the time to respond, we had already seen the 'copied & pasted' sections of text from the Canada Immigration website, our question specifically applies to the fact that we are travelling after January 1st 2009....when a visa IS required unless you have a boimetric Polish passport.

thanks again,

James
 

steviejetski

Newbie
Jan 12, 2009
1
0
Hi mate,

i have exactly the same problem as you. i want to travel to canada in march 2009, just a 2 week holiday. My polish g'friend has an old style polish passport so i think she'll need a temporary residents visa.

Did you manage to sort it out?? and if so, can she apply in the uk for this or does she have to send her application to Poland?? does she have to go to poland personally to sort it out??

I'd really appreciate any advice you have on this as i don't want to miss out on a snowboarding holiday in Banff!

Thanks mate

Steve (Bradford, UK)
 

JimmyYorks

Newbie
Oct 2, 2008
3
0
To Steve (in Bradford),

Thanks for your posting, you are in the same boat as us.
What you'll have to do is apply for a Temporary Residents Visa at the Canadian Embassy (my girlfriend lives in London so she's doing it in person).
Fill in these forms and have a couple of passport sized photos done....

http://www.canada.org.uk/visa-info/forms/visitor/imm5257b.pdf
and
http://www.canada.org.uk/visa-info/forms/visitor/Supp%20Info.pdf (part one of this form)

The only thing we still have a question about is my girlfriend's 'Immigration Status', she has been here since June 2006 on the 'Workers Registration Scheme', on that first form you have to fill in your immigration status in the country where you live; you can't apply for 'Permanent' until you've been here for 5 years, she's not here on a 'temporary' basis, nor is she a 'student', so the only one left is as a 'worker'!! - If you find anything out Steve let me know -

Have a great holiday.......we are doing the same (Banff) in 3 weeks time!!

James