Jun 07 St. Kitts regains Visa Free travel to Canada!
Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, visited Winnipeg today for an announcement regarding visa-free travel.
Passport holders from 13 countries will now be able to travel to Canada by air without requiring a Temporary Residence Visa. However, this applies only to travellers from these countries who have either held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or who currently hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa.
Eligible travellers include passport holders from:
- Philippines
- Morocco
- Panama
- Antigua and Barbuda
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Argentina
- Costa Rica
- Uruguay
- Seychelles
- Thailand
Fraser says Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been working to make the pretravel screening process easier, faster, and more affordable. He says this decision will divert thousands of applications from Canada’s visa caseload, allowing IRCC to process visa applications more efficiently.
A similar pilot program was introduced in Brazil in 2017. The minister says that the program was successful in increasing visitors from Brazil by 40% and reducing the caseload in IRCC’s Sao Paulo office by 60%, freeing IRCC officers to work on more complex applications. Visa-free travel to Canada
There are more than 50 countries that can enter Canada without a visa, although most require an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) if they are arriving by air.
United States citizens do not require an eTA or a visa to enter Canada unless they are moving to Canada to work or study.
Nationals of countries that are not exempt from obtaining a visa, must apply for a Temporary Residence Visa (TRV), also known as a visitor visa.
A TRV allows an individual to visit Canada for a period of six months (although this may differ for some foreign nationals).
Arriving in Canada with a TRV does not give the holder permission to work or study in Canada and they may be asked to demonstrate that the purpose of their visit to Canada is only temporary (such as tourism or visiting family) at their port of entry.
IRCC is currently working through a backlog of TRV applications. The latest backlog data from IRCC shows that 50% of TRV applications are not being processed within service standards, which is 14 days.
Minister Fraser has said TRV applications were impacted by the recent strike by the Public Service Alliance of Canada. The 12-day strike lasted from April 19 until May 1 and Fraser told reporters that there were 100,000 applications not processed during that period that otherwise would have been. He also said that he expects IRCC will be able to catch up to pre-pandemic processing standards within the coming weeks, or a few months.
Source: https://www.cicnews.com/2023/06/breaking-canada-introducing-visa-free-travel-to-13-countries-0635331.html#gs.0ix7zk
Mar 23 St. Kitts-Nevis announces new CBI programme options
From the press unity in the Office of the Prime Minister
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - With the Hurricane Relief Fund (HRF), a temporary investment option under the country's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme, set to expire at the end of this month, the government of St. Kitts and Nevis has announced plans for the introduction of two new options that "will further invigorate [their] CBI programme."
In a national address March 20, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Minister of Finance the Honourable Dr. Timothy Harris said the Hurricane Relief Fund was a highly successful initiative that exceeded all expectations, while noting that there are still a number of applications that are being processed under this fund.
However, with the HRF coming to an end within a matter of days, Prime Minister Harris said a new fund, to be called the Sustainable Growth Fund, will be launched as its successor.
"The Sustainable Growth Fund for a single applicant will require a contribution of US$150,000, inclusive of government fees," he said. "The contribution for a family of up to four will be US$195,000, following incremental steps."
Harris noted that the monies collected under this investment offering will invest in sustainable areas that "will benefit every citizen and resident of St. Kitts and Nevis - [in] health care, education, alternative energy, heritage, infrastructure, tourism and culture, climate change and resilience, and the promotion of indigenous entrepreneurship."
Furthermore, Prime Minister Harris also announced plans for the introduction of a revised real estate offering under the country's economic citizenship programme.
"In order to attract luxury resort developments, there is now being proposed another option where real estate offering that requires a US$400,000 investment may attract two applicants at US$200,000, each plus government fees, but this can only be resold after seven years," he said, adding, "we have given favourable consideration to the recommendation by real estate developers for existing developments to qualify for inclusion in the new option."
Prime Minister Harris stressed that this new offering will not replace the existing real estate investment option priced at US$400,000, plus US$75,000 in government fees, and which can still be resold after five years.
These impending changes to the CBI programme came about following an exhaustive consultative process between the federal government, developers and other stakeholders on the way forward for the citizenship programme. Harris assured all that the country's Citizenship by Investment Programme will continue to employ the strictest vetting procedures that have led to St. Kitts and Nevis' CBI programme being recognised throughout the world as the platinum standard.
"We will maintain our very high standards of integrity, rigour and robust due diligence," he said. "The due diligence standards of St. Kitts and Nevis are ranked among the highest in the world. St. Kitts and Nevis not only has the oldest citizenship-by-investment programme in the world, but the most highly regarded. This success was endorsed by the 2018 Passport Index of Henley and Partners, which ranked our programme as No. 1 in the region."
In 2017, St. Kitts and Nevis was also recognized internationally for offering the "World's Most Innovative Investment Immigration Programme" at the Russian Global Citizen Awards ceremony held at Moscow's prestigious Ritz Carlton Hotel. This annual event recognizes the best governments, companies and individuals who have excelled in investment, freedom of movement and residence services.
Source: https://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/local-news/st-kitts-nevis-announces-new-cbi-programme-options/
Sep 22 St. Kitts is Open and Welcoming Travelers
Basseterre, St. Kitts (September 22, 2017) - St. Kitts is pleased to report that initial assessments have been completed and the island is resuming normal operations, as it was fortunate to escape major damage from the passage of Hurricane Maria to its south on Tuesday afternoon.
All hotels in St. Kitts are fully operational and those properties that do not engage in regular seasonal closures are open and servicing guests. St. Kitts' Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport (SKB) reopened and began welcoming flights on September 20. The Port Zante cruise pier did not sustain damage and St. Kitts is scheduled to welcome two vessels tomorrow - Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Fascination and Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas. Park Hyatt remains on track to debut in November.
We continue to extend our thoughts and prayers to our Caribbean brothers and sisters in those islands which took a direct hit from Maria and to everyone who has been or will be impacted by the storm. Our sincere thanks to those who have kept St. Kitts & Nevis in their hearts and prayers.
For anyone wishing to donate to the recovery efforts of those destinations that sustained more severe damage from the hurricane, two official Caribbean Relief Funds are:
The Caribbean Tourism Recovery Fund - www.tourismcares.org/caribbean
The Caribbean Tourism Association Hurricane Relief Fund - www.gofundme.com/hurricane-relief-fund-cto.
For the most recent updates on Maria, please refer to the National Hurricane Center. For more information about St. Kitts, visit www.stkittstourism.kn.
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Apr 27 St. Christopher Club to host the swimming portion of the St. Kitts and Nevis Special Olympics
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN):Special Olympian hopefuls on St. Kitts and Nevis will participate in their National Games starting this Wednesday at the Kim Collins Athletics Stadium.
Nadine Natta, Special Olympics Association Board Member, told WINN FM that around fifty athletes will contest a number of events with a view to qualifying for the Special Olympics National Summer Games Sheffield, England in August 2017.
"From St. Kitts and Nevis we have about fifty athletes who will be participating in the Games. We will have athletics on Wednesday, including walking, running and other events. On Thursday we head to Nevis for floor hockey or bocce and on Saturday we have the swimming competitions at the St. Christopher Club in Frigate Bay," she said.
On Wednesday the events begin at 9:30 am and run until 5pm and on Saturday the swimming completion will take place at the St. Christopher Club from 9:30am to 3pm. Teams from Connecticut and St. Maarten will be competing with the local athletes. The teams will all comprise adults and young children.
The Association is extending an invitation to the general public to attend the games and show their support for the Special Olympians. The 2015 contingent to the games returned home with several medals.
"We're asking the general public to come on out and support these events; they are all free of cost so we want you to come and show support for these athletes, cheer them on, and show them that we care about Special Olympics."
Source: http://www.winnfm.com/news/local/16673-special-olympians-gear-up-for-national-games
Mar 02 St. Kitts & Nevis is Showcased as a Golf Destination
Basseterre, St. Kitts - (March 2, 2015) - Teams of PGA club professionals and amateur golfers along with their guests all enjoyed the lush natural beauty and warm hospitality of St. Kitts & Nevis during the Fifth Annual St. Kitts-Nevis Admiral's Cup Pro-Am Tournament, held on both islands of the Federation from February 17-21, 2015.
"The Pro-Am tournament is a premier event to help build awareness for our twin-island nation within the lucrative golf travel niche market," said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. "Considering that we have a new championship course which is on schedule to open this year, Irie Fields at Kittitian Hill, and another championship course at Christophe Harbour slated to open in 2016 on St. Kitts, it is critical that we promote our product now."
The Admiral's Cup Pro-Am is an annual golf event for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. It is a five-day team tournament in which a PGA Club Professional and three amateurs pair up to compete against other teams from golf clubs across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. The 54-hole annual event was contested over the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club designed by Canadian course architect Thomas McBroom and the signature Robert Trent Jones II course at the Four Seasons Resort Nevis, two of the Caribbean's most scenic and challenging courses. Rounds one and three of the tournament were played on the links-style Royal St. Kitts Golf Club, an 18-hole course featuring holes on both the Caribbean and Atlantic which is managed by Marriott Golf. Round two was played at the Four Seasons Resort in Nevis, featuring the par 71, 18-hole championship mountain-side course that overlooks the Caribbean Sea and St. Kitts with a spectacular beach-side finishing 18th green.
All participants, guests, and sponsors of the Admiral's Cup Pro-Am were treated to warm hospitality and great golf. While temperatures dipped into the single digits back in the U.S., attendees enjoyed relaxing in the sun at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino, host resort of the event for the 5th year in a row. Additional event sponsors included the Four Seasons Resort Nevis, Cobra PUMA Golf, Carib Beer, Kantours and Brinley Gold Rum. All attendees were treated to nightly parties, on-course hospitality stations, and player gift bags filled with prizes valued at more than $400 USD. They also explored the island, going zipliningand dining out at restaurants from Carambola Beach Club to Fisherman's Wharf. After 36-holes of Team Best Ball competition, the CC of Columbus (Georgia) team led by Host PGA Professional Brian Stubbs held a one-stroke lead on the field at 121. Seven teams were within 5 shots of the lead heading into the final round's tough Two Best Ball format (1 gross + 1 net), including the Wilmington Island Club from Savannah, Georgia, the event's 2012 Team Champions. However, it was the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club #2 team, led by Amateur Louis Canise, a 2-handicap golfer who learned the game on the nearby island of St. Lucia and carded a 4-under par 67 on his own ball, pulled away from the field. As a result, Canise and his teammates Adrian Norford (Team Captain), Everton Harvey and Vernon Veira, were presented the winning Admiral's Cup by Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.
The Royal St. Kitts Golf Club Team #2 was one of three entered into the competition from the Host Club, capturing the Championship with a final score of 246. Their victory marked the first time in the event's history that one of the host teams took top honors in the annual competition. The Wilmington Island Club consisting of Host PGA Professional Patrick Richardson and amateurs Ron Wodkowski, David Schaller and Wilson Tillotson, captured runner-up honors with a team score of 259, marking the third time in four years the team placed in the event. The Royal St. Kitts Golf Club #1 team of Team Captain Anand Harridyal, Harry Harridyal, Andy Orr and David Wright took third place honors, one shot back at 260.
To learn more about the Admiral's Cup Pro-Am and golf in St. Kitts and Nevis, visit www.StKittsProAm.com. The tournament is managed exclusively by The Golf Connection LLC for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.
About St. Kitts:
In conjunction with existing courses, the Irie Fields Golf Club at Kittitian Hill, designed by former Masters Champion Ian Woosnam, and the Tom Fazio designed course at Christophe Harbour, will form a spectacular quartet of world class golf courses, each of which is adjacent to luxury resorts and residential developments. In 2014, LINKS Magazine included St. Kitts & Nevis in its newly created ranking of the Top 25 Islandsin the world for golf travel and it is one of just seven Caribbean islands on the list.
In fact, the twin-island Federation has recently appeared in a number of must-visit lists and rankings. St. Kitts is currently ranked, with sister island Nevis, at #3 on a list of the Best Islands in the World, #3 on a list of the Best Caribbean Vacations, and #7 on a list of the Best Beach Honeymoon Destinations in the World, #8 on a list of Best Caribbean Honeymoons, and #8 on a list of the Best Affordable Caribbean Destinations by US News & World Report. It is also currently ranked at #7 among the Hottest Places to Travel this Winter by CNN Money based on bookings received by Virtuoso, #8 on a list of the Top 10 Best Islands for a Holiday by Places To See In Your Lifetime, #14 on a list of the 50 Travel Destinations That Will Be Huge In The Next 10 Years as well as #8 on a list of the 25 Best Caribbean Islands by Business Insider, one of the Top 12 Best Caribbean Vacations on FlipKey.com, the vacation rental company of leading travel website, TripAdvisor. St. Kitts & Nevis has also been named one of the Top 15 Emerging Travel Hotspots for 2015by The Huffington Post and has been ranked by The New York Times at #34 of the 52 Places to Go in 2015. In addition, St. Kitts received the "Innovative Destination of the Year" Award in Caribbean Journal's Caribbean Travel Awards 2014.
Located in the northern Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, it offers a diverse tourism product developed from the destination's natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich history. The island's stunning variety of tourism attractions include hiking through the tropical rainforest, riding the scenic railway that connects the island's former sugar plantations, visiting the Caribelle Batik factory, and touring Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, the only man-made UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Eastern Caribbean. Among the more traditional vacation pastimes available are watersports, golf, shopping, tennis, dining, gaming at St. Kitts' exclusive casino or simply relaxing on a sandy beach. Accommodations range from intimate plantation inns to larger hotels and resorts.
For more information about St. Kitts, please contact the St. Kitts Tourism Authority toll free from the US at 1-800-582-6208 or from Canada 1-888-395-4887, e-mail info@stkittstourism.kn, visit www.stkittstourism.kn, or connect on Facebook, Twitter and/or YouTube.
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Nov 26 Over EC$100 million in goods and services exported from St. Kitts and Nevis to the U.S. in first 9 months of 2013
St. Kitts and Nevis continues to be the leading exporter of goods and services to the United States within the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
According to foreign trade statistics issued by the US Census Bureau, exports from St. Kitts and Nevis to the United States for the first nine months of this year were valued at US$39.9 million or EC$107.7 million.
For the first nine months of this year, Antigua and Barbuda exported US$7.2 million (EC$19.4 million) to the United States; Dominica, US$2.1 million (EC$5.6 million); Grenada, US$8.1 million (EC$21.8 million); St. Lucia, US$11.7 million (EC$31.5 million); St. Vincent and the Grenadines, US$1.9 million (EC$5.1 million); Anguilla, US$7.2 million (EC$19.4 million ); British Virgin Islands, US$5.3 million (EC$14.3 million); Montserrat, US$1 million (EC$2.7 million).
St. Kitts and Nevis also led the OECS and Barbados in goods and services exported to the United States in 2012 with a value of nearly US$106.3 million (EC$297 million).
The value of exports to the United States in 2012 from Antigua and Barbuda were valued at US$9.6 million (EC$25.9 million); Anguilla, US$3.6 million (EC$9.7 million); Dominica, US$1.7 million (EC$4.5 million); Grenada, US$8.4 million (EC$22.6 million); St. Lucia, US$15.2 million (EC$41 million); Montserrat, US$1. 8 million (EC$6.7 million); St. Vincent and the Grenadines, US$2.3 million (EC$6.2 million) and the British Virgin Islands, US$12.9 million (EC$34.8 million).
Between 2000 and 2011 St. Kitts and Nevis also led the OECS and Barbados with goods and services to the United States valued US$115.8 million (EC$312.6 million) in 2011; US$131 million (EC$353.7 million) in 2010; US$108.1 million (EC$291.8 million in 2009); US$123.9 million (EC$334.5 million) in 2008; US$110.7 million (EC$298.8 million) in 2007; US$127.2 million (EC$343.4 million) in 2006; US$94.1 million (EC$254 million) in 2005; US$60.3 million (EC$162.8 million) in 2004; US$58.8 million (EC$158.7 million) in 2003; US$49.5 million (EC$133.6 million) in 2002; US$40.3 million (EC$108.8 million) in 2001 and US$58.3 million (EC$157.4 million) in 2000.
St. Kitts and Nevis companies exporting to the United States and their products are Lutron Liamuiga (dimmer switches and fan speed controls); API Harowe (St. Kitts) Ltd (small motors, PC Board Assemblies, Rotor Assemblies and resolvers); Kajola-Kristada (connectors, filters, trap and surface mounts; for the Cable TV and Communications Industry); CSR/DDL (CSR rum/brand), Brinley (flavoured rum products) and Jaro Electronics (industrial motors and transformers. Although Caribelle Batik does not directly ship its products in boxes to the United States, visiting American tourists accounted for a large percentage of sales.
Source: http://www.cuopm.com/newsitem_new.asp?articlenumber=4038&post200803=true
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