Canadians are now facing updated travel advisories to the world’s two largest economies after Ottawa warned travellers who stay in the United States for more than 30 days to make sure they register as required. At the same time, Canadians with dual citizenship have been warned to use Canadian credentials when presenting to Chinese authorities.
“Canadians and other foreign nationals visiting the United States for periods longer than 30 days must be registered with the United States Government,” the latest travel advisory to the US said. “Failure to comply with the registration requirement could result in penalties, fines, and misdemeanor prosecution.”
The updated advisory said visitors can consult the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website to check if they need to register and how to do so. It said people can see if they have been automatically registered on entry to the U.S. by looking up their I-94 admission form on the U.S. Customs Border Protection website.
China
Meanwhile, Canada also updated its travel advisory to China after Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said last week that the country has executed four Canadian nationals in recent months.
The updated advisory warned that Canadians should exercise “a high degree of caution” in China, especially those with dual citizenships – who may be denied access to Canadian consular services if they entered the country on a Chinese passport or identity card.
Noting that China does not recognize dual citizenship, the advisory said, “Our ability to provide consular assistance in China is limited due to the level of transparency in China’s judicial system. It may also impact your ability to obtain effective legal assistance.”
Joly had said that all four of the Canadians recently executed in China were dual citizens and, according to Chinese authorities, faced charges linked to drugs and criminal activities.
China’s embassy in Ottawa has said “Chinese judicial authorities have handled the cases in strict accordance with the law,” adding that Beijing has a “zero tolerance” approach to drug crime.
The Canadian travel advisory to China also warned that non-violent acts such as financial crimes may incur “severe punishment” in the country. It adds that travellers may also face an exit ban if they are linked to people “in any open civil or criminal investigations, including business disputes.”
Ottawa said affected travellers may not realize an exit ban has been placed on them until they go through Chinese customs and immigration controls when trying to leave China.
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