Mexican citizens now need eTA or visa to visit Canada

Since 29 February 2024, Mexican citizens have new requirements for visiting Canada.

Policy change - which does not apply to Mexicans who hold valid work or student permits - is believed to be driven by a surge in asylum claims.

Mexican citizens who hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years and will be traveling to Canada by air can apply to the Canadian government for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

All others need to apply for a Canadian visitor visa and pay a fee of approximately $100.

Mexico is a major tourism source market for Canada. In 2023, nearly 600K Mexican citizens visited Canada and spent more than $750M.

The upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup - which Canada will be co-hosting with Mexico and the US - is expected to bring many Mexican visitors to Canada.

Some Canadian tour operators and other tourism businesses are complaining that the new visa requirement has killed their April-May business and caused them significant losses in cancellation fees and revenues forgone.