Venezuelan Passport Holders in Canada
Posted on 22/08/2019
On June 7, 2019 the USA officially recognized a decree which had been just announced by the Venezuelan National Assembly under opposition leader Juan Guaido to extend Venezuelan passports by 5 years from the date of their expiry. This necessity arose because of the deteriorating situation in Venezuela which has meant that Venezuelans living abroad have been unable to renew their passports.
Now in Canada, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Ahmed Hussen has announced this past August 19 that Canada will also recognize the decree and allow Venezuelans living or visiting Canada to use their current passport subject to the following:
- Their Venezuelan passport must have expired within the 5 past years or be about to expire. A valid Venezuelan passport that has an expiry date further in the future is of course acceptable as well.
- Venezuelans in Canada can use their expired or about-to-expire passports to:
- Apply for a visitor visa
- Apply for a study permit
- Apply for a work permit
- Apply for permanent residence
- Apply to extend their visit to Canada
- Venezuelans who do apply for any of the above must still meet all the eligibility requirements and admissibility requirements as any other applicant to Canada would have to in order to travel to and/or stay in Canada.
- This announcement only applies to Canada. If you are a Venezuelan who wishes to travel to another country, you must check with their embassy and/or immigration authorities to see what conditions apply to Venezuelans holding expired passports.
As Minister Hussen said:
Canada remains deeply concerned by the critical and worsening political and economic situation in Venezuela. The inability of Venezuelans to renew their expired passports has posed significant challenges, which were highlighted in my discussions with members of the Venezuelan community in Canada. Our government is resolved to continue Canada’s commitment to and steadfast support for the people of Venezuela.
If you are a Venezuelan looking for more information on Canada’s immigration system, you’ve come to the right place. Whether it’s study or work permits or permanent residence applications or family sponsorship, don’t hesitate to consult with us.