In the world of western nations, Canada has a pretty good reputation.
It’s known as a diverse country that welcomes immigrants. In fact, in 1971 the government of Canada even adopted a “multiculturalism policy” – to recognize, appreciate, and celebrate the diverse cultures and communities that Canada is composed of. Over 200 distinct ethnic origins are reported across the country of Canada, according to their latest census data.
But that welcoming nature has its limits. In a March 21 announcement, Canada’s minister of immigration said that Canada, for the first time in its history, will put a cap on how many temporary residents it has. The goal is to reduce the number of temporary residents Canada has from 6.2% of the population to 5%.
In tandem with that new goal, Canada is imposing visa requirements on Mexicans, seemingly with a goal to reduce the number of asylum applications that Canada is receiving every year. Between 2016 and 2023, there was a 9000% increase in asylum applications from Mexican nationals – from an average of 260 per year to 23,955 submissions.
For the last several years, Mexican nationals have not had to have a visa to visit Canada, and so the majority of Mexican asylum seekers have arrived by airplane and then applied for asylum. By requiring Mexican citizens to apply for visas before they fly to Mexico, Canada is hoping to reduce the number of Mexican asylum applicants.
Even though the new rule already began on the last day of February this year, Canada is implementing a sort of transition – Mexican nationals who hold either a valid U.S. non-immigrant visa, or have had a Canadian visa in the past 10 years, will be able to apply for a visa-exempt electronic travel authorization. All other Mexican nationals will need to apply for a visa.
The Mexican government has expressed frustration with this new policy, but Canada’s immigration minister said “Mexico is and will remain an important partner”.
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