In response to a recent increase in asylum requests from Mexico, Canada announced on Thursday, 29th February 2024 that it would revoke permits for visiting Mexican Nationals immediately.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced during a press conference that “Mexican citizens will have to obtain a visa to come to Canada from now on,” citing the necessity to maintain “the viability” of Canada’s Immigration and refugee system.

He stated that there will be a few exclusions. If they have a valid US visa or have acquired a Canadian visa within the last ten years, Mexican Nationals visiting Canada can apply for a basic electronic travel authorization.

According to immigration data, Mexicans accounted for 17% of all refugee claims in Canada in 2023. The number of refugee claims made by Mexicans has seen a sharp increase from just 260 applications in 2016, the year that the prior visa restriction was eliminated, to nearly 24,000 claims last year. The applicants withdrew or rejected most of the most recent claims.

A few Mexican Nationals, according to Miller, have been “coming through Canada and then going to the US.” Naturally, he continued, these figures are insignificant in light of the quantity of migrants reaching the Southern border of the United States.

A previous conservative government had instituted Canadian visa requirements for Mexican nationals in 2009 in an attempt to curb a comparable surge at the time, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s liberal administration removed the provision in 2016.

The Province of Quebec recently sent Trudeau a letter claiming that things had reached a “breaking point” and requesting measures to slow down the immigration flow.

Miller noted that the new visa requirement has already drawn criticism from the Mexican administration.

He declared, “Our close ties with Mexico are very important to us.” “Mexico is and will continue to be a significant partner.”

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