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Canada lifts advisory on U.S. travel
From Elise Labott
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Canada this week lifted a travel advisory urging Canadian citizens born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria to consider avoiding travel to the United States. The advisory was in response to U.S. legislation passed after the September 11 attacks, authorizing the Immigration and Naturalization Service to monitor the entry and exit of citizens from those countries. Such monitoring allows those individuals to be photographed and fingerprinted. The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released the advisory last Monday. This week, after a strong appeal from the Canadian government, the Bush administration gave Canadian citizens an exemption from the regulations -- which had threatened to cause tension in U.S.-Canadian relations. Canadian officials told CNN their government considered the regulations "discriminatory" and "unfriendly." Canada is home to many people of dual nationality who were born in those countries but have earned Canadian citizenship. In the advisory, the Canadian government of Canada warned: "Canadians who were born in the above countries or who may be citizens of these countries to consider carefully whether they should attempt to enter the United States for any reason, including transit to or from third countries." An amendment to the U.S. National Security Entry Exit Registration System, or NSEERS, adds Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen as countries whose citizens could "attract special attention," the advisory warned. Canadian officials called the rules unnecessary due to the close security cooperation shared between the two countries. In September, a man with joint Canadian-Syrian citizenship was detained by U.S. authorities in New York while changing planes at John F. Kennedy Airport. The man later was deported to Syria. Canada protested on the grounds the man should have been sent back to Canada. Canada's amended travel advice warns Canadians they may experience lengthy delays due to "new and more complex security measures implemented by Canada and the United States, airlines, and other transportation companies." Part of the new security measures noted by Canada in the new travel advisory include U.S. requirements that all airlines operating flights into the United States collect the following information for every passenger: full legal name, gender, date of birth, nationality and travel document number. The information is provided to the U.S. Customs Service in advance of each flight's arrival in the United States.
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