Facilitating the

Movement of
Commonwealth Citizens
Presentation by Gary Dunn, DSG Corporate, Commonwealth Secretariat
13 December 2016 DRAFT #2

Presentation outline
Background
Work of the Working Group
CHOGM 2015 Proposal and Mandate

Lessons learned
Commonwealth Secretariat's initiatives
Member countries initiatives

Next Steps

Background
Eminent Persons Group recommendation to CHOGM 2011
Rec 101 Report to next CHOGM on ways to improve movement of Commonwealth Citizens

Ramphal Institute commissioned to examine the issue for CHOGM 2013

Little prospect of a borderless Commonwealth
Scope for visa reform on specific, pilot, bilateral and multilateral basis
Recommend a Working Group to carry forward

CHOGM 2013 directive to Secretariat to establish a Working Group

Working Group on the Movement of Commonwealth Citizens

Secretariats role under MOU:
Facilitating and promoting consultations on matters of common concern
Remains careful not to trespass on the independence and sovereignty of the member state

Principles followed in discussions at Working Group:

Consistency with national policies, practices and laws developed over many years
Proposals would not propose an obligation on member states to implement any provision that
would run counter to or are otherwise not compatible with any of their existing policies, laws
or international agreements

Working Group on the Movement of Commonwealth Citizens

Working Group of the Board of Governors established in 2014
Met 6 times to prepare proposal for CHOGM 2015
Representatives from a total of 33 countries participated in one or more
meetings
Met twice post CHOGM 2015

CHOGM 2015 - Commonwealth Advantage Proposal

Proposed possible measures member governments could consider to ease the
Movement of Commonwealth citizens
Opportunity to leverage economic potential and networking power:
Trade among Commonwealth countries grown by 10% per year in recent years
Trade expected to reach $1Trillion by 2020
Growth in regional arrangements Commonwealth countries participate in

Provided a broad philosophy for countries to then decide how they would
implement as well as identifying areas for the Secretariat to take lead

CHOGM 2015 Commonwealth Advantage Proposal

Proposed measures would benefit a wide group of Commonwealth citizens including:
Business travellers longer term and low cost visas
Ministers and Officials attending and supporting Commonwealth meetings faster
Commonwealth visa processes
Officials and Representatives from accredited Commonwealth organisations flexibility to
move through the Commonwealth
Senior Officials and Persons of Note additional consideration for requests for specific
Commonwealth purposes (sporting competition, academic events, entertainment concerts
and festivals
Experts managing and responding to natural disasters in Commonwealth states preaccreditation and long duration visas

CHOGM 2015 - Mandate

Heads recalled the importance to the people of the Commonwealth of easier
movement between member states of the Commonwealth for legitimate and
temporary reasons in order to benefit from strong economic, official and cultural
cooperation.
Heads noted the proposal for a Commonwealth Advantage under which all
member governments would consider further possible measure to enhance the
scope for Commonwealth citizens to access each others countries more easily
and for longer than is currently possible, and for benefits therein where they do
not conflict with national legislation and international obligations regulating visa
policies.

They noted the efforts made to date by the working group in this regard and
requested a further progress report at their next meeting.

Lessons Learned
Different interpretations of what Movement of Commonwealth Citizens meant
Lack of understanding as to what each country did in this area
Highlighted deeply held concerns about changes as it dealt with a countrys
sovereignty
Different perspectives -- diplomats and immigration officials
Different visa systems used across the Commonwealth
Obligations under other agreements

10

Commonwealth Secretariat's initiatives

Focus on areas we are responsible for
Desk top review of visa requirements for Commonwealth meetings
Briefs on visa processes Australia, South Africa, UK

August 2016 established visa application guidelines for Secretariat

Apply early, provide as much detail as possible

Pilot project Womens Affairs Ministerial Meetings Sept in Samoa

Transit Countries (Australia, NZ, South Africa) officially advised of the meeting and the need for transit
visas by letter from the Secretariat
Issues arose for some participants directly related to insufficient lead time for visas

11

Member Countries Initiatives

Members to consider benefits of Commonwealth Advantage and apply in their own
context
India e-tourist Visa, temporary landing permit schemes
SmartGate technology
VIP/Conference consular network
Bilateral agreements
South Africa and Nigeria
South Africa and the Commonwealth Secretariat for multiple visa entries for Secretariat staff

Members of regional initiatives to improve movement

CARICOM
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Travel Card
Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) Card

12

Next steps
Member countries invited to advise of their own initiatives to improve
movement of Commonwealth Citizens
Improve practices for preparing participants for Commonwealth meetings

Secretariat and the Working Group to prepare progress report for heads of
Government for CHOGM 2018