Canada Reinstates Visa Rules for Mexicans to Control Asylum Claims

The federal government is reinstating certain visa requirements for Mexican nationals visiting Canada, according to senior government official sources. These new rules will come into effect at 11:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Quebec Premier François Legault has been urging the federal government to address the influx of asylum seekers into Quebec. Last week, he suggested reintroducing the visa requirement for Mexican travelers, attributing part of the increase in asylum seekers to the visa exemption.

Statistics from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada reveal that over 25,000 Mexicans applied for asylum in Canada last year, making Mexico the leading source of asylum claims. The board currently has over 28,000 pending claims from Mexico.

The United States has also been pressuring Canada to reintroduce the visa requirement to reduce the number of illegal crossings from Canada into the U.S. Presently, Mexicans can travel to Canada without a visa, but need one for the U.S. Some Mexican nationals are reportedly exploiting this to enter Canada and then cross into the U.S. illegally.

The new visa requirement is expected to impact about 40% of Mexican travelers to Canada. The Conservative government initially imposed this visa requirement in 2009 to control asylum claims, but it was relaxed in 2016 by the Trudeau administration.

The revised rules will not fully revert to pre-2016 conditions. Mexican nationals with certain U.S. visas, and those with Canadian study or work permits, will not need a Canadian visa. Additionally, those who received valid visas in the last ten years will not need to reapply under the new regulations.

The new visas will be valid for ten years, allowing multiple entries into Canada with a stay of up to six months per visit. However, customs officers will have the discretion to limit the visa duration or the number of visits.

The government plans to announce the new visa requirements on Thursday. However, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has accused Canada of unilateral actions on immigration measures. He indicated that Canada and Mexico are negotiating to manage migratory flows and expressed dissatisfaction with the potential unilateral approach by Canada.

Premier Legault has highlighted that asylum seekers are straining Quebec's social services and finances, with many facing housing crises and ending up in overcrowded shelters. He noted that organizations assisting asylum seekers are overwhelmed, and the influx is affecting schools and other public services. Legault's letter mentioned that last October, around 43,200 asylum seekers received $33 million in aid from Quebec.

Quebec Immigration Minister Christine Fréchette welcomed the federal move but emphasized that more needs to be done, including better distribution of asylum seekers across Canada.

Sources indicated that while domestic concerns were the primary drivers of this policy change, U.S. pressure also played a role. Human smuggling networks have been exploiting Canada's visa-free entry to facilitate illegal crossings into the U.S., contributing to a spike in migrant apprehensions at the Canada-U.S. border.

Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows a significant increase in apprehensions of Mexicans entering the U.S. from Canada after the visa requirement was lifted in December 2016, with numbers rising from 1,169 in 2016 to 4,868 last year. This issue was highlighted by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during his visit to Ottawa last spring.