The Canadian government’s sudden decision to make all Mexicans visiting Canada have a visa has severely disrupted the plans of travelers heading to the northern nation for pleasure, study or business in the coming days and weeks.
Since Monday, hundreds of people have flocked to the Canadian Consulate in Guadalajara in search of information about the new requirement.
Security staff at the consulate are refusing most Mexicans entry to the building and telling them to call a toll-free number at the embassy in Mexico City. (After negotiating a series of touch-tone menu options, callers are asked to download an application from www.canada.org.mx and follow the instructions.)
Most of those seeking assistance seemed confused about the new regulations; some were angry.
“The (guards) wouldn’t even let us get out of the car,” said one irate student who went to the consulate for information.
The Canadian government said it introduced the measure following a sharp rise in the number of asylum seekers entering the country over the last few years. (The same rule has also been applied to citizens of the Czech Republic.)
As reported in this newspaper on July 3, Mexicans filed between 8,000 and 10,000 asylum claims in 2008, up around 15 percent on the year before.
“The sheer volume of these claims is undermining our ability to help people fleeing real persecution,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenny said in a statement. “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.”
The visa requirement applies to everyone who wants to visit, do business, study, or work on a temporary basis in Canada.
Mexicans due to arrive for courses at the Vancouver Language School in British Columbia this weekend have been delayed and some have cancelled, said Fernando Sanchez, head of Spanish marketing at the school. “The major problem for us is the delay getting the visas. This is the high season and I hope Canadian authorities give visas where they are deserved.”
Companies like TK Tours of Guadalajara are helping many of their clients due to travel to Canada with the documentation needed for their visa application.
“Our office in Mexico City is near the embassy, so our people there are trying to get the visas rushed through,” said Marcos Magaña, manager of the TK Tours office in Guadalajara’s Plaza los Arcos. “Hopefully those traveling this weekend will get their visas on time. But unfortunately we can only help those who have booked package tours, not flights only. They’re on their own.”
A Mexicana representative said the visa issue “was out of our hands” and that the airline would not be waiving fees for changing the dates of flights.
According to the Canadian embassy website, applications for visas can only be handed into the embassy’s drop box, sent by mail or courier. There are no personal appointments for visitor’s visas, the site confirms. (Canada’s mission in Guadalajara’s World Trade Center does not issue visas.)
According to Magaña, visas for students staying in Canada for more than six months usually take between three and four weeks to process. “We’re guessing it will be the same for all visas from now on,” he said.
The embassy website recommends applications and the required supporting documents be submitted “well in advance” of planned departure dates but does not give an estimated processing time.
The visas cost 835 pesos for a one-time visit and all applicants must prove they have sufficient funds to cover their trip.
The visa documentation is “more complicated than for the United States,” Magaña said.
Television news reports from Mexico City on Wednesday showed long lines formed around the Canadian embassy as travelers rushed to apply for visas. Some said they were prepared to camp out overnight to obtain their visa and not ruin their holidays.
Major tour operators denounced the Canadian government’s decision and asked for a delay until mid-November, when the busy tourist season has wound down.
The lack of any forewarning has been widely criticized, even though it appears the Canadian government had been planning the move for some time.
“We heard about the new rule a couple of weeks ago,” a Canadian immigration officer at Toronto Pearson Airport told the Reporter on Tuesday.
Magaña said he had heard rumors that Canada was contemplating a visa requirement but nothing concrete.
“We had no idea that it would be now in the summer.”
Immigration Minister Kenney said giving advance notice would have defeated the purpose of the measure because it would have led to a rush of asylum seekers to beat the deadline.
Many Canadians residing in Mexico are upset at their government’s actions.
For Tony Wilshere, president of the Canadian Club of Lake Chapala, the concept of Canadian benevolence has been greatly damaged by the decision.
“You can flush down the toilet that image ... Canada had a wonderful reputation, the Chapala area has benefitted greatly from Canadians and this just seems like a great way of helping (the bond).”
Wilshere acknowledged the problem with Mexican asylum seekers, but is shocked by how his government has dealt with it.
“It’s like when you have 30 kids in a class and there is one bad kid, but the teacher punishes them all. You don’t ‘solve’ the problem by slamming the door on one of your neighbors and Nafta partners. There are multiple solutions and this is the wrong one.”
Said Kenny in his statement: “We regret the decision ourselves. We’d rather have visa-free travel, and Mexico is an important partner and friend of Canada’s. However the reality is that even though we’ve had ongoing discussions with the Mexican authorities over this problem, it’s gotten worse not better.”
The Mexican government responded by making it compulsory for Canadian diplomats and government officials to apply for visas to enter Mexico. Full details here.
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