Malaysia urges Canada to shorten visa processing time - Anifah

Malaysia has urged Canada to find solutions in shortening the visa processing time for its citizens, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.

Anifah, who raised the matter with visiting Canada National Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan in their bilateral talks here today, said currently the visa application submitted to the Canadian visa office in Singapore, took an average pf between 10 and 14 days.

"Sometimes, businessmen cannot wait that long. So, i have urged them to find a solution to shorten the waiting period, while we do understand Canada''s laws and policies," he told reporters after receiving the Canadian minister at Wisma Putra here today.

Musa and Harjit Singh discussed the progress of the ongoing bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Canada.

Effective April 30, 2012, the Visa and Immigration Sections at the Canadian Embassy in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) have been closed to the public.

Anifah said other topics discussed at the meeting included cooperation in the fight against terrorism and radicalism, and exchanging information on recent happenings involving the Daesh group of militants and the return of foreign fighters.

"We have very good and productive discussions. Both Malaysia and Canada are very happy as this year marks the 60th anniversary of Malaysia-Canada diplomatic relations.

"Ties between the two countries remain friendly and cordial with key cooperation in areas of trade, investment, defence and security cooperation. Both of us want to see more visits between leaders from Malaysia and Canada," he added.

On trade, Anifah said Malaysia had a huge investment at British Columbia in Canada while Canada''s investment in Malaysia exceeded RM15 billion, and welcomed more Canadian trade missions to explore and seek the wealth of investment opportunities in Malaysia.

Touching on education, the foreign minister said it continued to be an integral part of Malaysia-Canada bilateral relations, and there were currently more than 300 Malaysian students pursuing higher education in Canada.

"We also touched on the Korean Peninsula, South China Sea, Middle East issues related to chemical weapons, and Syrian issues," he said.

On behalf of the Malaysian Government, Anifah also extended an invitation to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his counterpart, Chrystia Freeland to visit Malaysia.

According to the Malaysian Foreign Ministry statement, it would be the first official visit to Malaysia undertaken by the country''s defence minister since the establishment of bilateral ties between Malaysia and Canada in 1957.

Harjit Singh is in Malaysia for a three-day visit in conjunction with the port call of two Royal Canadian Navy frigates in Port Klang, Her Majesty''s Canadian Ships Ottawa and Winnipeg.

-- BERNAMA