This Canadian visitor visa is 40 years old, and so is the CIHS!

Susan Gregson confirms that it was she, as a young visa officer in Beijing, who issued this Canadian visitor visa (or “CVV” as we called them) back in the summer of 1986, just before being cross-posted to Rome.

Coincidentally, the CIHS is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026!

In February of 1986, the seventeen original members of the Society met for the first time, with the first annual general meeting being held on 22 November of that same year.

Stay tuned as we announce initiatives and events to mark this significant anniversary!

Some of our members might recall that the sticker-type CVV was introduced in the early 1980s. This particular sample was coded EXZ-1 and allowed for a single entry (multiple entries not being permitted at the time for certain nationalities). Part of the coding helpfully tells us that the People’s Republic of China is a communist country. It appears to be a visa issued at the same time as an employment authorization.

The era of handwritten visas is a distant memory, but visa officers of the time will fondly recall affixing their signature to each and every visa issued by their office.

Note: Rob Vineberg, who led the initiative to adopt a sticker-type visa, advises that the first batches of this initial series of visas were sent to missions in 1982. Look for an article in a future issue of the Bulletin as to how this transition unfolded.