Canada dropping visa requirement for Czechs

Canada is dropping its visa requirement for Czech tourists from midnight on Wednesday, the Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, announced at a special news conference. The Canadian authorities say, however, that they will reintroduce a visa regime for Czech citizens if there is a significant increase in the number of Czechs applying for asylum in Canada. Ottawa imposed the visa requirement in 1997 after an influx of Czech asylum-seekers.

Author: Ian Willoughby