Immediate changes to travel eligibility for citizens of Mexico
By Brittany Trafford and Brendan Sheridan
Today Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) has announced significant changes to the travel requirements for Mexican citizens.
As of February 29, 2024 at 11:30p.m. Eastern Time, all electronic travel authorizations (“eTA”) issued to Mexican passports prior to this date and time will become invalid, with the exception of those Mexican citizens travelling to Canada with valid work or study permits.
Mexican citizens who do not hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or who have not held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years will require a Canadian visa to enter Canada when travelling on a Mexican passport. Those who meet the exemptions of having the valid US non-immigration visa or past Canadian visa will be able to re-apply for eTAs to enter Canada by air. Even if eligible for an eTA to travel by air, if entering by car, bus, train or boat, a visa will be required.
Those who are eligible for an eTA will need to apply for a new eTA or a visa after 11:30 p.m. February 29, 2024. This includes persons who have applications for eTAs in processing but not yet issued as of the cut off time. IRCC has specified that having travel booked does not guarantee the ability to rely on an eTA. As a result, anyone travelling on a Mexican passport must carefully consider what steps they must take to come to Canada. Current estimated processing times for a Canadian visa application from Mexico is 40 days; however, we would anticipate this may increase as more applications are made.
IRCC has announced that these changes are being made in response to the increase in asylum claims made by Mexican citizens that have been refused, withdrawn or abandoned. IRCC had lifted the visa requirement for those travelling on Mexican passports in December 2016.
This announcement by IRCC will impact many wanting to come to Canada and will certainly impact the timelines for many Mexican nationals to be able to enter Canada.
This client update is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.
If you have any questions about the above, please contact a member of our Immigration group.
Archive
Joe Thorne & Jennifer Taylor In 2005, a bus accident occurred in Nova Scotia. The people injured in the accident were residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, which is where they sued the bus owner and driver…
Read MoreBy Killian McParland and Sophie Poulos As recently announced, the next Nova Scotia provincial election will be held on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. Under Nova Scotia’s Elections Act, every employee who is an eligible voter (i.e.…
Read MoreBy Sadira Jan, Dave Randell, Nancy Rubin, Kimberly MacLachlan, and Onye Njoku Bill 471, the Advancing Nova Scotia Opportunities Act, received Royal Assent and introduces changes to the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation…
Read MoreBy Sadira Jan, Dave Randell, Nancy Rubin, G. John Samms, Kimberly MacLachlan, and Jamie Gamblin Bill C-49 received Royal Assent and will amend the Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act and the Canada-Nova Scotia…
Read MoreBy John Morse The New Brunswick provincial election is set to take place on Monday, October 21, 2024, with polling hours between 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Under the New Brunswick Elections Act, all employees…
Read MoreLevel Chan and Dante Manna On September 9, 2024, the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities (CAPSA) released the long-awaited final revisions to Guideline No. 3 – Guideline for Capital Accumulation Plans (CAPs) and the…
Read MoreSean Kelly and Tiegan A. Scott On September 5, 2024, the “Stronger Workplaces for Nova Scotia Act” (Bill No. 464) was introduced in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for first reading by the Honourable Jill Balser…
Read MoreJohn A.C. Morse and Lauren Sorel The Human Rights Tribunal of Alberta (the “Tribunal”) recently awarded three complainants a total of $273,274.91 in compensation, with $155,000.00 of this amount designated as general damages – a…
Read MoreStephen Penney and Megan Kieley1 The Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Index Investments Inc v Paradise (Town)2 is a significant decision for municipalities. The Court of Appeal endorsed the Newfoundland and…
Read MoreBy Kathleen Leighton & Brittany Trafford The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (“TFWP”) and International Mobility Program (“IMP”) provide Canadian employers the opportunity to hire foreign workers to address their labour needs, particularly when qualified Canadians…
Read More