Canadian Ambassador Reveals Reasons for Relaxed Visa Rules for Indonesians

Jakarta - The Canadian government has revealed the reason behind its policy of relaxing travel requirements for Indonesian citizens (WNI) through the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) scheme. This step was taken as part of efforts to strengthen the growing bilateral relationship between the two countries. Canada’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Jess Dutton, said the policy was driven by the importance of the strategic partnership that has been forged between Canada and Indonesia in various sectors. “For Canada, this is about partnership. We deeply value our relationship with Indonesia,” Dutton said in Jakarta on Wednesday. According to him, relations between the two countries continue to grow, not only in the economic field, but also in defence and cooperation through the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). However, Dutton considers that the primary foundation of relations between countries is not just business agreements or government cooperation, but direct interactions between societies. “The main driver of relations between countries is people-to-people relationships and the ease of mobility,” he said. For this reason, Canada is seeking to make travel for Indonesian citizens to its country easier. This ease is intended for various purposes, ranging from family visits, business travel, to tourism. “Whether to visit family, for business travel, or tourism, we want to make travel to Canada as easy as possible. That is why we are introducing this policy for Indonesian citizens,” Dutton said. He hopes the eTA policy will encourage more Indonesians to visit Canada. At the same time, increasing citizen mobility is believed to strengthen economic relations and cooperation between the two countries in the future. “We hope this measure will increase the interest of the Indonesian people to visit Canada while strengthening the economic relations between the two countries,” he said. Previously, Canada announced the expansion of eTA access for Indonesian citizens who meet certain requirements. This scheme allows travellers who meet the criteria to travel to Canada without having to apply for a regular visitor visa, making the departure process simpler and faster.