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MEXICO: New Visa
Requirement Complicates Travel to Canada
By Emilio Godoy
MEXICO CITY (IPS) - Jair Gutiérrez was lucky,
because he was able to make a stopover in Canada on
his way to Japan without being asked for a visa. But
things have changed now for the thousands of
Mexicans who pass through, visit or move to the
North American country every year.
As of Tuesday, Mexicans wishing to enter Canada need
a six-month tourist, student or temporary resident
visa. Transit visas will also be required for
travelers passing through.
The argument set forth by the government of
conservative Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
is that requests for refugee status by Mexicans have
soared.
"In addition to creating significant delays and
spiraling new costs in our refugee programme, the
sheer volume of these claims is undermining our
ability to help people fleeing real persecution,"
Canada's minister of citizenship, immigration and
multiculturalism Jason Kenney said Monday.
"All too often, people who really need Canada’s
protection find themselves in a long line, waiting
for months and sometimes years to have their claims
heard. This is unacceptable," he added.
The new policy drew an immediate protest from the
Mexican foreign ministry, which said in a press
release that this country "will closely monitor the
implementation of this measure imposed by Canada, so
that it is carried out in an efficient manner with
respect for the rights of Mexicans, while limiting
the effects on their travel plans to that country as
much as possible."
More than 9,400 Mexicans filed for refugee status in
Canada in 2008, representing nearly 25 percent of
all requests received and putting Mexico at the top
of the list of applicants. Only 11 percent of the
Mexican claims reviewed last year and 13 percent
reviewed in 2007 were accepted by the Immigration
and Refugee Board (IRB).
A 2009 status report by Canada's Office of the
Auditor General states that "As of September 20,
2008, there were about 10,000 unresolved appeals and
more than 50,000 unprocessed refugee claims."
Isabel Studer, research director at the North
American Commission for Labour Cooperation, said the
backlog is due to the IRB's administrative problems,
and that it will be cleared up when the agency hires
more staff.
Many Mexicans filing a refugee claim are fleeing
gender violence, drug-related violence or abuses by
the police or other authorities.
But there are also controversial cases, such as that
of Napoleón Gómez, the leader of the Sindicato
Nacional de Trabajadores Mineros – the miners' union
- who has been living in Canada with a work permit
since 2006 while facing corruption charges in Mexico
for allegedly embezzling 55 million dollars from a
miners' fund.
This month, the trade unionist applied for permanent
residency.
The Canadian embassy in Mexico was buzzing with
activity Tuesday as a result of the new policy.
In a statement, the Harper government said that for
48 hours after the new rule entered into force,
Mexicans could apply for a visa on arrival in
Canada, but that as of Thursday a visa would be
required.
Like visa applicants from other countries, Mexicans
will have to show that their visit to Canada is
temporary, they will not overstay their visa, they
have enough money to cover their stay, they are in
good health, they have no criminal record, and they
are not a security risk to Canadians.
The Canadian government complained that many refugee
claims by Mexicans are not fully justified.
As partners in the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA), along with the United States,
Mexico and Canada have strong trade, cultural and
labour ties.
Canada's temporary foreign workers programme takes
in around 22,000 Mexicans a year.
The other country affected by the new visa
requirement is the Czech Republic, another large
source of immigrants and applicants for refugee
status. |
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