The visa frustrations of Panamanians  visiting Canada, will soon be eased according to a statement from the Canadian Prime Minister’s office.

With a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Panama and Canada moving into it’s final stages, Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke with President Ricardo Martinelli on Wednesday to discuss a number of regional issues. 

Following up on Harper’s trip to Panama last year, the Prime Minister  informed  Martinelli that a remote processing system will be put in place in the near future to “significantly facilitate” visa issuance at the Canadian Embassy in Panama for Panamanians travelling to Canada.

At a press conference in Panama during his visit last year, Harper seemed unaware of the problem although successive Canadian Ambassadors have striven to improve the procedure of obtaining a visa. The next day he was pressed further at a business lunch.

Visas are currently issued from an office in the Canadian Embassy in Guatemala. The procedure is long, complicated and expensive, and visas have a limited time span, compared to a 10-year Visa’ issued by the US embassy. In the past applications have been rejected without specifying a reason, but it has often been because of lack of information provided by the applicant.

The situation was partly eased by the appointment of a part time official at the Panamanian Embassy, who helped with form filling, and sent the application in a diplomatic pouch to Guatemala. This removed the cost of a courier to the Guatemalan capital, but the applicant still has to pay the cost of the courier returning the stamped, or rejected passport to Panama.

The Prime Minister’s office said the new system “will support both countries fully taking advantage of the free trade agreement recently concluded with Panama.”

Prime Minister Harper also highlighted the priority Canada was attaching to responding to the crisis in Haiti. 

Canada’s Governor General, Michaelle Jean, was born in Haiti, and is the first black woman to be elected to the post, representing the Queen in Canada.

The two leaders agreed that Haiti would require a significant long-term commitment by the international community. They also discussed the situation in Honduras.

The two leaders also agreed on the need for international efforts to address drug trafficking and organized crime activities in the region.

Harper emphasized the importance of continuing trade liberalization efforts in the region as part of a strategy to overcome the global economic downturn.

Visitors to Canada, including businessmen, tourists, students attending Canadian universities and Canadian Citizens living in or visiting Panama are awaiting an announcement from Copa Airlines about planned direct flights to Canada.

The original intention was to fly into Pearson International Airport in Toronto, but talks with the airport authority have been bogged down, and another entry port, most likely Montreal may have to be used.

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