The government of Canada has announced that an expansion will be made to the China Transit Program (CTP), which allows eligible Chinese citizens to transit through Canada without a visa when they are travelling to and from the United States.

The announcement was made by Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Chris Alexander, at Vancouver International Airport.

The expansion, which will begin on June 1, 2015, will extend the program to include three new airports: Seoul Incheon, Tokyo Narita, and Tokyo Haneda, all of which are major transit hubs. These three airports will be in addition to the six existing cities in the CTP: Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Manila, and Guangzhou.

Not only will this expansion result in improved flexibility for Chinese travellers transiting through Canada, but it will also increase business for participating airlines and airports in the form of extra revenues through landing fees and traveller spending.

Furthermore, the Canadian government has plans to abridge the administrative process required for new airlines to participate in the China Transit Program, making it easier for these airlines to carry Chinese transit passengers through the two Canadian airports in the future.

Additionally, the eligibility of other Chinese departure cities are being considered for future expansion as part of the government’s commitment to the expansion of transit programs.

In his announcement, Chris Alexander stated, “Our government is committed to facilitating legitimate trade and travel, including supporting Canada’s air industry efforts to attract more transit business to the country. This expansion of the China Transit Program will help generate more business for our airlines and airports, and could potentially lead to the opening of new routes and destinations, which would benefit all travelers, including Canadians.”

Other examples of Canada’s initiatives toward simplified travel for Chinese citizens include expedited processing for visitors and businesspeople under programs such as CAN+, the Business Express Program, and the 10-year multiple entry visa .