February 13, 2003

Passports and Visas Now to Be Required for Certain Permanent Residents of Canada and Bermuda

On January 31, 2003, the U.S. Department of State and the INS published a notice of the revocation of the regulation that allows certain permanent residents of Canada and Bermuda (“landed immigrants”) who are citizens of British Commonwealth countries to enter the United States without a passport or visa. Nationals of Ireland and British Commonwealth countries who reside in Canada will be affected by this change.

British Commonwealth countries include: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji Islands, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, The Bahamas, The Gambia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

This action is viewed as an effort to heighten security at the U.S. borders. Foreign nationals affected by this change will be required to present a passport and a valid visa when applying for admission into the United States. Canadian nationals and citizens of the Overseas Territory of Bermuda will retain their current privileges and will not be required to present a passport and a visa to enter the United States. This rule is effective on March 17, 2003.

  CFR: Visas: Removal of Visa and Passport Waiver for Certain Permanent Residents of Canada and Bermuda (PDF/37 kb, 2 pages)