CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Mexicans and Czechs now need visas for Canada

Wednesday, 15 July 2009

Canada has imposed visa requirement on visitors from Mexico and the Czech Republic in order to stem the rising flood of dramatic increases in the number of refugee claimants from both countries in the past few years. The visa requirement went into effect at one minute past midnight, July 14th, 2009.

The Czech Republic and Mexico are Canada's two highest sources of refugee applications. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said in a statement that Canada's refugee system is burdened by refugee claimants from these two countries which are "creating significant delays and spiralling new costs.... The sheer volume of these claims is undermining our ability to help people fleeing real persecution."

Since the visa requirement was lifted in 2007 after the Czech Republic entered into the European Union, 3,000 refugee claims have been filed by Czech nationals, the vast majority of Roma origin, compared with fewer than five in 2006.

And experts claim that spiralling drug cartel violence and the presence of scam artists in Mexico have led to the more than 5,500 Mexican nationals applying for refugee status in the first half of 2009.

However, human rights advocates claim that in both the Czech Republic and Mexico, citizens cannot be adequately protected by their governments from persecution and are legitimate candidates for refugee status.

Human Rights Watch cites in its World Report 2009 that Mexico's justice system "continues to be plagued with human-rights problems. Persons under arrest or imprisonment face torture and ill treatment."

If you are interested in Visas to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.