Mexican national visa requirement for Canada

Introduction
In recent years Mexican nationals have benefitted from visa free travel to Canada. As per other non-visa nationals, they required only an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) to enter Canada via air. From the 29th February 2024, Mexicans will now be required to obtain a visa prior to travel into Canada. 

Impact
Medium

What has changed?
Effective from 29th February 2024, Mexican nationals will require a visa prior to entering Canada, with only a few exceptions to this rule. Any eTA issued since the removal of the Mexican visa free status will cease to be valid and any eTA application still being processed will be terminated. Those individuals with travel arrangements already in place before the new measure was implemented will need to ensure they meet this new visa requirement prior to travelling. 

Please note the following: 

• The eTA is only valid for entry to Canada via air and not land or sea. 
• Existing eTAs for those with work or study permits will remain valid
• Individuals already in Canada may continue to remain in country for as long as authorised (typically up to 6 months from the date of arrival). Following departure from Canada the individual will become subject to the new rules
• Individuals with eTA applications in progress who qualify for a visa exemption will need to submit a new eTA application

Who is affected?
Mexican citizens are affected by this change unless they qualify for one of the following exemptions:

• The individual held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years
• The individual currently holds a valid US non-immigrant visa

What you need to do
Passport holders from Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, or Luxembourg planning a short-term visit to China, should familiarize themselves with the conditions of the visa-free travel and ensure compliance with the specified purposes and duration of stay allowed under the visa waiver.

For further information on Canadian immigration, please contact the Sterling Lexicon immigration team at immigration@sterlinglexicon.com.