The Canadian Minister of Public Safety, Dominic LeBlanc, and the Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller, are considering implementing measures to control Mexicans travelling to Canada. This was announced by Dominic LeBlanc on Sunday 21 January 2024. The reason for that is the increasing number of asylum applications from ineligible Mexican nationals.
Visa requirement abolished in 2016
Since 2016, Mexican nationals are no longer required to hold a visa to travel to Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he wanted to make it easier for Mexicans to visit Canada, believing this would boost the local economy. Now, eight years later, Canada is considering reintroducing the visa requirement for Mexicans.
Even though the visa obligation has been lifted for Mexicans, it does not mean that they can freely cross into Canada. In fact, despite no longer needing a visa, Mexican nationals need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) to travel to Canada.
Travel purposes allowed with an eTA
The eTA is linked to the applicant’s passport number. The eTA makes it easier for Canadian authorities to screen travellers who are not required to apply for a visa. In fact, travellers who can apply for the eTA instead of the visa still have to meet several requirements. For example, they must not pose a risk to security in Canada. Moreover, to be eligible for the eTA, the traveller must visit Canada for tourism, for a business trip, for a transfer or for a short course of study.
More asylum applications
Removing visa requirements for Mexican nationals has indeed boosted the Canadian economy. Nonetheless, the eTA is much easier to obtain than a visa, and sometimes it is used for purposes for which it is not intended. For example, eTA holders sometimes travel to Canada to then apply for asylum in the country.
Accordingly, François Legault, minister of the Canadian province of Quebec, has remarked that asylum applications have become more frequent recently, overloading refugee services with work. Legault also believes that the visa waiver for Mexicans, which allowed them to apply for the eTA, plays a role in this trend. Asylum applications from Mexican nationals are often rejected due to ineligible applicants. Nonetheless, the increasing number of asylum applications has created a lot of extra work for the immigration department.
Reducing pressure on the immigration department
The Canadian Minister of Public Security and the Minister of Immigration have started researching measures that can be implemented to reduce pressure on the immigration authorities. Reintroducing the visa requirement for Mexican nationals is one of the options considered, but other alternatives are also being discussed.
No limitations for UK travellers
The hypothetical reintroduction of the visa requirement for Mexican nationals will not affect British travellers. UK citizens who meet the eTA requirements can simply make use of the Electronic Travel Authorisation to travel to Canada. You can easily apply for the eTA Canada through this website.