Visas:Don't Leave Home Without Them

QUESTION: Are visas an efficient way to control people accessing your country or just a cash grab?







A visa is an official document, usually stamped or glued inside your passport, giving permission from  authorities to enter their country.  A fee may be charged for issuing a visa; these are often also reciprocal, so if country A charges country B's citizens for a visa, country B will often also charge the same amount for country A's visitors. Quite often, the fee will be reciprocal as well, country A charges $50 then country B will charge $50. Canada requires entry visas from 168 countries with 53 countries having visa exemptions

 A quick review of both lists indicate the following. If Canada does not require a visa from a certain country then that country does not require any paperwork for a Canadian traveling into that country. If Canada requires a visa for a country then that county requires either a visa prior to entering the country with the resulting costs or they require a reciprocity fee that is payable in cash, credit card, or by traveller’s cheque prior to clearing immigration at the airport.


Additional review of the Canadian lists clearly show our bias for European, British and Commonwealth countries for visa free entry to Canada. But to be fair the list also includes a number of Asian and African countries. The USA only lists 36 countries that do not require a visa with only six countries not found on or attached to the European continent. Looking at countries  whom seem reliant on tourism,  we mostly find that visas or reciprocity fees can be purchased or paid for upon arrival to the country, no trips to an embassy required.  

Based on the above, I would put forward the answer that visas are both a cash grab and a method of control. As well, I would like to add reciprocity as another reason. Do unto others as they do unto you. Our experiences with the staff who man these stations and collect your money has for the most part, never been a positive experience. Perhaps they attend the same schools as the customs officials.

As we stood in the line at the embassy waiting to hand over cash for a visa to a country who shall remain nameless (wink, wink, nudge, nudge),  I asked myself this question, "Who wouldn't want a Canadian tourist visiting their country and why are they making it so difficult ?"  Alas, the question went unanswered. Probably better that way. I suspect the difficulty is reciprocal.