China News Service, Toronto, March 1 (Reporter Yu Ruidong) Since nearly midnight on February 29, the Canadian government has implemented new regulations for Mexican citizens entering Canada and restored entry visa requirements to curb the recent surge in refugee asylum applications.

　　Air passengers holding a U.S. non-immigrant visa or a Canadian visa within 10 years and traveling to Canada with a Mexican passport can apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

Mexican citizens who do not meet the relevant conditions must apply for a Canadian visitor visa to enter.

The new regulations will take effect from 11:30 midnight on the 29th.

　　The Canadian government stated that since there are currently many Mexican citizens holding U.S. visas, most Mexicans can continue to enjoy visa-free entry into Canada.

　　Canada stated that this move will alleviate the pressure on Canada's border departments, immigration system, housing and social service systems, while maintaining the mobility of Mexican citizens to Canada.

At the same time, Canada is continuing to monitor the impact of its visa policy on visa-free and visa-required countries, as well as the changing trends in asylum applications.

　　Official Canadian data shows that in 2023, Canada received nearly 24,000 asylum applications from Mexican citizens, a record high and accounting for 17% of the total applications.

About 60% of these applications were either rejected by Canada, or withdrawn or abandoned by the applicants.

　　When former Canadian Prime Minister Harper was in power, Canada implemented entry visa requirements for Mexican citizens in 2009.

The Liberal government led by current Prime Minister Trudeau removed the original regulations in 2016.

In 2016, Mexicans submitted only 260 asylum applications to Canada.

　　Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Miller told the media in Ottawa on the 29th that he knew that Mexico was dissatisfied with Canada’s decision.

But faced with an exponential increase in applications from Mexicans, the Canadian government must take action.

He also admitted that part of the reason why Canada implemented this move was the request from the United States.

　　The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported in April last year that the Biden administration in the United States has repeatedly asked Canada to consider reinstating visa requirements for Mexican citizens traveling to Canada.

The reason is that the United States requires Mexicans to have a visa to enter.

However, some Mexicans take advantage of the visa exemption to enter Canada first and then enter the United States illegally.

This has resulted in a significant increase in the number of people entering the United States illegally from Canada.

　　Quebec Governor Legault recently sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, asking the federal government to reinstate visa requirements for Mexican citizens.

He said the province is approaching a "tipping point" of capacity due to so many asylum seekers entering Quebec.

Quebec is also facing increasing financial pressure as it provides financial assistance to asylum seekers waiting for work visas.

The amount of aid in October last year reached 33 million Canadian dollars.

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