CANADA: Mexicans Too Need Visas Now

• by Emilio Godoy (mexico city)
• Tuesday, July 14, 2009
• Inter Press Service

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.

© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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