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VISA fees waived for AIDS gathering

    JOHANNESBURG

    Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Office has waived its standard visa fee for thousands of international delegates attending the biannual 16th International AIDS Conference from 13 to 18 August in Toronto.

    However, organisers of the gathering warned that the free visa application for visitors did not guarantee entry into the country.

    The warning followed rejection of entry for 20 AIDS activists, some of whom were to have addressed the conference.

    Joan Anderson, senior adviser on visa-related matters for the conference host office, said the applicants' lack of financial means might have been the reason for rejection.

    "The concern of the visa officer is, 'Will this person return to their own country, or will they try to stay in Canada?'" she told the local Globe and Mail newspaper.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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