Exemption eliminated for certain residents of Canada and Bermuda

Effective March 17, 2003, residents of Canada having a common nationality with Canadian nationals or with British subjects in Bermuda are no longer exempt from the visa requirement. Beginning on that date, such aliens are subject to the requirements both of having a valid passport and a valid visa. These aliens will now be subject to 8 CFR 235.1(f)(1) and upon arrival shall be issued, upon payment of the appropriate fee for land border admissions, a Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record as evidence of the terms of their admission. [68 Fed. Reg. 5189 (January 31, 2003), amending 8 C.F.R. § 212.1]

Nationals of Ireland and British Commonwealth countries, who reside in Canada, will be affected by this change. The following list of countries are considered British Commonwealth Countries: 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. Source: Federal Register AMDOC#: 200301006