Beginning 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 14, 2009, Mexican citizens will require a visa to travel to Canada, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. For the first 48 hours, Mexican citizens may apply for entry on arrival in Canada. After 11:59 p.m. EDT July 15, 2009, a visa will be required.
The reason behind introducing visa for Mexican citizens is the increase in the number of refugee claims from the country. It is said that number of Mexican citizens who sought refugee status in Canada have almost tripled since 2005. It also made Mexico the number one source country for refugee claims.
In 2008, more than 9,400 claims filed in Canada came from Mexican citizens, representing 25 per cent of all claims received. And only 11 per cent were accepted after reviewing the claims by the Immigration and Refugee Board, an independent administrative tribunal.
This is what the Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenny had to say on this subject.
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With the implementation of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative from June 1 2009, Canadians cannot travel into U.S with their regular driver’s licence. Canadians either need their passports or Enhanced Driver’s Licence (EDL) to visit the United States.
Please note that EDL can be used as a travel document to enter United States ONLY at land and water border crossings.
Eligibility for EDL in British Columbia
- must be a B.C. resident
- must be a Canadian citizen
- must provide identification to prove your identity and citizenship
- be 16 years of age or older, and
- and if you are under 19 years, bring a parent or legal guardian to your appointment
You need Three pieces of acceptable identification to verify your identity and citizenship. All identification documents you bring must be originals. Copies or certified copies are not accepted.
- Canadian birth certificate or Canadian citizenship document
- Canadian or U.S. driver’s licence, and
- one piece of additional identification
For a detailed guide on getting your Enhanced Driving Licence in British Columbia check this document.
If you are not immigrating and arriving as a visitor, CBSA ( Canada Border Services Agency ) allows you to bring
- Gifts ( excludes alcohol and tobacco ) valued at no more than CAN $60 each.
- 1.5 L of wine or 1.14 L of liquor or 24×355 ml cans or bottles (8.5 L ) of beer or ale.
- 200 cigarettes, 200 tobacco sticks, 50 cigars or cigarillos and 200 grams of manufactured tobacco.
If you are a resident of Canada then the following rules apply. Each resident returning to Canada is entitled to one of the following personal exemptions based on his/her time absent from Canada (include all goods and/or gifts purchased or received abroad):
- 24 hours: CAN $50 – Not claimable if goods exceed $50. Alcohol and tobacco cannot be claimed.
- 48 hours: CAN $400 – This includes alcohol and tobacco (see table below )
- 7 days: CAN $750 – This includes alcohol and tobacco ( see table below )
| Alcohol and Tobacco exemption table |
| 1.5 L of wine or 1.14 L of liquor or 24 x 355ml cans or bottles ( 8.5 L ) of beer or ale. ( You must be of legal age in the province of importation.) |
| 200 cigarettes, 200 tobacco sticks, 50 cigars or cigarillos and 200 grams of manufactured tobacco ( Special Duty may apply ) |
Additional Info:
Every traveller into Canada will have to fill in a CBSA Declaration card. You may list up to four people living at the same address on one card. Each traveller is responsible for his or her own declaration.
Under the law, failure to properly declare goods, currency and/or monetary instruments brought into Canada may result in seizure action, monetary penalties and/or criminal prosecution.
Information from the declaration will be used for CBSA control purposes and may be shared with other government departments to enforce Canadian laws. For more information see Info Source ( ref. no. CBSA PPU 018), at a public library or visit http://infosource.gc.ca.