As of April 1, 2024,

Increases apply to the following AAIP assessments:

As of 11:30 p.m. ET on February 29, 2024

Mexican citizens travelling to Canada will need to meet new requirements to travel to Canada.

What’s changing

Starting at 11:30 p.m. ET on February 29, 2024

• you will need to meet new requirements to be eligible for an electronic travel authorization (eTA)
• if you already have an eTA, it will automatically be cancelled unless you also have a valid work or study permit
• if you have an eTA application in progress, you will need to apply for a new eTA or for a visitor visa
• before you travel to Canada, you will need to apply for a new eTA (if eligible)
• if you’re not eligible for an eTA anymore, you will need to apply for a visitor visa to travel to Canada

These changes apply even if you already booked your travel. Having pre-booked travel plans or a previously valid eTA does not guarantee you will be approved for a new eTA or a visa.

How visitors are affected

Visitors are temporary residents who don’t have a valid work or study permit, such as tourists, students on a study term less than 6 months, or business visitors.

If you’re a visitor who had an eTA, or submitted an application for an eTA before 11:30 p.m. ET on February 29, 2024, you won’t be able to use it to travel.

Before you can travel to Canada, you need to either

apply and be approved for an eTA under the new rules, or
apply and be approved for a visitor visa

Who can apply for an eTA under the new rules

You’re eligible for an eTA if you meet all of these 3 requirements:

• You’re using a valid Mexican passport to fly to Canada or to transit through a Canadian airport to another destination.
• You’re coming to Canada for a short visit (normally for stays of up to 6 months).
• You either
  
  • have held a Canadian visitor visa (temporary resident visa) in the past 10 years or
  • currently hold a valid United States nonimmigrant visa

An eTA is for air travel only. Even if you are eligible for an eTA, you need a visitor visa if you plan to travel to Canada by car, bus, train or boat, including a cruise ship (even if you don’t leave the ship).

If you’re not eligible for an eTA, you will need a visitor visa. If you’re not sure which one you need, answer some questions to find out.

What you need to board your flight to Canada if you have an eTA

When you fly to Canada, you must

• travel with the same passport you used to apply for your eTA. If you get a new passport after applying for an eTA, you must apply for a new eTA using your new passport.
• travel with your passport containing your work or study permit, if applicable.

We recommend you

• bring a printed copy and a digital copy of your eTA confirmation email
• bring your old passport if it contains either
  
  • your expired Canadian visitor visa (temporary resident visa)
  • your valid US non-immigrant visa

Who needs a visa

A visitor visa is an official document that we put in your passport that shows you meet the requirements to travel to Canada.

It costs CAN$100; however there may be other costs that you need to pay such as a biometrics (fingerprints and photo) collection fee of CAN$85.

Most visitor visas issued by Canada are multiple-entry visas, which are valid for up to 10 years.

If you need a visa and are travelling soon

You can check our processing times to find out how long it might take to get your visa.

If you’re travelling soon, you should indicate in detail in your application the urgent and/or compelling reason for your travel. This information may be considered when your application is processed.

Requests for urgent/expedited processing are not guaranteed.

If possible, we recommend delaying your travel until your visitor visa application has been finalized. If you can’t get a visa in time, you will need to adjust your travel plans. IRCC won’t give refunds for lost travel expenses.

How other travellers from Mexico might be affected

Mexican citizens already in Canada without a study or work permit

• You can stay in Canada for as long as you are authorized to do so. If you have a visitor record, it will remain valid.
  However, your eTA will be cancelled. If you leave Canada and wish to return, you need to have
  • a visitor visa, or
  • a new eTA that was issued after February 29, 2024, at 11:30 p.m. ET

Study permit and work permit holders

• If you already have a valid work or study permit, we will not cancel your eTA. You don’t have to apply for a new eTA. You can continue to travel with it as long as it’s still valid. You can keep studying or working in Canada based on the validity and conditions of your permit. Visitor records will also remain valid.
  If you’re applying for a new work or study permit, we’ll automatically issue you a visa or an eTA (based on eligibility) when your work or study permit application is approved. You don’t need to apply for a visa or an eTA separately.
  An eTA is for air travel only. Even if you have a valid eTA, you need a visitor visa if you plan to travel to Canada by car, bus, train or boat, including a cruise ship (even if you don’t leave the ship).
• You have a valid study permit or work permit and your eTA was accidentally cancelled after February 29, 2024, at 11:30 p.m. ET
  

  You may be eligible to have your eTA reactivated. To find out if you are eligible

  • send a web form request

  • complete all required fields

  • include the code “EMVR2024” in the text box

If you are not eligible to have your eTA reactivated, you will need to submit a new eTA application based on the new requirements or a visitor visa application. If you’re not sure if you need an eTA or a visa, answer some questions to find out.

Dual citizens

• If you’re a dual Canadian-Mexican citizen, you need a valid Canadian passport to travel to Canada.
  If your second citizenship is from a visa-exempt country, other than Canada or the United States, you can apply for an eTA to fly to Canada using the passport of the visa-exempt country.

Lawful permanent residents of the United States (green card holders)

• As a lawful permanent resident of the United States you don’t need a visa or eTA to travel to Canada.
  When travelling to Canada, you must travel with your United States green card and a valid passport from your country of citizenship.

Mexican diplomatic passport holders

• If you have a Mexican diplomatic passport, you can apply for an eTA if you meet the requirements under the new rules. If you’re eligible, you can use your personal or diplomatic passport to apply.
  However, if you’re travelling to Canada for official or diplomatic purposes, you might need a visa.

Government announces 2,000 additional spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, delivered today on a commitment to expand pathways for temporary foreign workers by allocating an additional 2,000 spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program.

The Government of Canada is committed to an immigration system that strengthens Canada’s economy and contributes to the growth of good middle-class jobs. We are committed to providing foreign workers, in particular those filling long-term labour market needs and who have integrated into Canadian society, with more pathways to permanent residency.

These additional spaces will provide more opportunities for existing temporary foreign workers at the intermediate skill level (National Occupation Code C) to transition to permanent residence, and help to address worker vulnerability.

This fulfills the Minister’s mandate commitment to further develop pathways to permanent residency so that eligible applicants are able to fully contribute to Canadian society. It means more opportunities for workers who are well established in Canada to access the economic immigration pathways that are the best fit for their qualifications.

These additional spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program complement other immigration programs, including the Atlantic Immigration Pilot and the recently launched Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, which can also help temporary foreign workers become permanent residents.

Quotes
“Temporary foreign workers fill long-term labour market needs and contribute to the growth of our economy. We recognize the need to provide opportunities for them to transition to permanent residence – and these additional spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program will do just that.”

– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

• The additional 2,000 National Occupation Code C spaces are meant to provide a net increase in the number of Temporary Foreign Workers who transition to permanent residence under the Provincial Nominee Program.
• The additional 2,000 spaces will help meet regional labour market needs in key sectors, as determined by provinces and territories.
• The additional spaces will not impede IRCC’s progress in decreasing processing times overall for the Provincial Nominee Program.
• Under the Provincial Nominee Program, participating provinces and territories nominate foreign nationals whom they believe will meet particular regional labour market and/or economic development needs and who intend to settle in their province.
• Provinces and territories are primarily responsible for the design, management and evaluation of their respective provincial nominee programs.

Fraudulent emails and phone calls -CRA!
The CRA is warning Canadians that fraudulent emails and phone calls purporting to be from the Agency are currently being reported. Find out more about these scams and learn how you can protect yourself.

Sample telephone scam

You may get a phone call from a person aggressively telling you to pay the taxes you owe. This person will claim to be from the Canada Revenue Agency. 
In an effort to prevent you from falling prey to these cons, the CRA is releasing transcripts of the scams that are currently targeting taxpayers.

Caller ID Spoofing

Caller ID is a useful function. However, the information displayed can be altered by criminals. Never use only the displayed information to confirm the identity of the caller whether it be an individual, a company or a government entity.

Sample 1

The first example is a voice message that was received by a CRA employee based in Halifax and contains several red flags you should be aware of:

Sample 2

The second example is a voice message of telephone scam in which the caller urges the listener to return a call, before legal action is taken against them. The call contains several red flags that you should be aware of:

Sample 3

The third example is another voice message telephone scam in which the caller urges the listener to return a call before legal action is taken against them. The call contains several red flags that you should be aware of:

Sample 4

The fourth example is a scam phone call to Nate Brideau, a Winnipeg-based corporate tax specialist. Nate recognized the scam early. He recorded several calls the scammers made and sent the recordings to the Winnipeg Free Press, which published an article on the issue. 

Sample 5

To hear another example of a phone scam, go to CBC’s recording of a phone scam.

May 5, 2016—Ottawa, ON – More immigrant entrepreneurs are coming to Canada through the Start-up Visa Program and the benefits are spreading growth and opportunity to middle-class families across the country.

As of May 2, 2016, 51 entrepreneurs had become permanent residents of Canada through the program, representing 26 start-ups that have launched or will be launching in communities across Canada, including Sydney, Halifax, Fredericton, Toronto, Mississauga, Waterloo, Thunder Bay, Calgary, Whistler, Vancouver and Victoria.

“The start-up visa started slowly but has steadily picked up steam,” Arif Virani, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said today. “Every start-up that is established here has the potential to provide jobs and economic opportunity for Canadians, contributing to our country’s growth and diversity.”

The Start-up Visa Program is drawing successful applicants from a diverse range of countries, including Australia, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Iran, South Africa and Uruguay, and across a number of industries, including technology, food product manufacturing, education, medical research, banking, human resources, and advertising.

This five-year pilot program allows entrepreneurs who have the support of a designated Canadian entity to apply for permanent residence as they establish their company in Canada. Demand for this program is growing, with more than 50 additional permanent resident applications still in process from entrepreneurs from around the world who have the support of a designated Canadian venture capital fund, angel investor group or business incubator to launch their start-ups in Canada.

Ottawa, June 13, 2016 – As part of its commitment to family reunification, the Government of Canada will grant permanent residence to more spouses, partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens and permanent residents this year. This will significantly reduce the backlog of existing applications and speed up processing times going forward.

Each year, the Government sets how many permanent residents Canada intends to admit through its various immigration categories during the year. This is done with the annual immigration levels plan. The plan for 2016 reflects the Government's key priorities for immigration, which include bringing more families together.

This year, the Government increased the number of spaces allowed for spouses, partners and dependent children by 14 000, bringing it up to 62 000 spaces.

Over the past few years, more people have applied to come to Canada in the spousal category than there was space for in previous immigration levels plans; this has created a backlog. This year, the Government will reduce this backlog.

Tackling the spousal backlog will ease the uncertainty faced by spouses and partners wanting to move forward and build their lives in Canada with their family and help them integrate into our communities and our economy.

Increasing the number of admission spaces for spouses and partners is one of the measures the Government has taken to support family reunification. Through Budget 2016, $25 million was also allocated to support faster and more predictable processing times for family sponsorship.

What this means for applicants
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has begun to work on reducing its current spousal sponsorship backlog.

Reducing the backlog means complete and straightforward spousal sponsorship applications will be finalized faster.

The backlog reduction applies to applications received through the family class (overseas processing) as well as the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class (in-Canada processing).

All applications will continue to undergo the necessary screening to ensure that individuals do not pose a health, safety or security risk to Canadians and that the relationships are genuine.

If you have already submitted an application to sponsor your spouse or partner, IRCC may contact you to advise you if we need additional information to help process your application. You do not need to contact us, but please make sure your file is up to date.

If you are contacted, please respond to any communication you receive from us within the time frame provided in order to ensure that we can properly process your application. The success of our efforts relies on your cooperation.

If you have not yet submitted an application to sponsor your spouse or partner but plan to do so, the application will not be dealt with as part of our backlog reduction efforts, but it will be processed as quickly as possible.

IRCC's work to reduce the backlog will eventually benefit all spousal applicants—whether they are already in the backlog or submitting a new application—by bringing down wait times for all.

Find general information on family sponsorship, and find answers to your questions at the Help Centre.