Canada is bringing back visas for Mexican citizens as asylum claims soar
Mexican citizens will once again need a visa to come to Canada after asylum claims from that country have soared over recent years.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller made the announcement Thursday morning in Ottawa, saying the change will take effect as of 11:30 p.m. Eastern.
“We have seen exponential growth in claims from Mexican nationals particularly in the last year,” said Miller at a news conference Thursday. “Measures had to be taken.”
Asylum claims from Mexico reached a record high last year, but more than 60 per cent were either rejected or withdrawn.
“I don’t want to deny the right of someone to allege that they are fleeing violence and oppression,” Miller told reporters. “When you see those numbers, you see we have role to play in adjusting the volume.”
“You start scratching your head and saying ‘increasing volume, low success rate,’ there’s a problem that has nothing to do with the IRB (Immigration and Refugee Board) and an independent judicial process and the government then has a right and a duty to take action.”
The Liberals lifted the visa requirement in 2016, making it easier for people from Mexico to make an asylum claim in Canada.
Data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada shows the number of asylum claims from Mexico increased more than 22,600 per cent since the year the Liberals were elected in 2015, to 25,236 in 2023 from 111 in 2015 in 2023 — the highest number of claims from any country last year.
The backlog of claims from Mexico currently sits at over 28,000, according to the department.
The changes to visa requirements will not apply to Mexicans who hold a valid work or student permits.
Mexican citizens will need an entry requirement known as an electronic travel authorization (ETA)
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