May 16, 2014

Great news for Mexican Nationals

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced that the Federal Government plans on making it easier for Mexican nationals to travel to Canada,  under a new program called CAN+.  The current law requires Mexican nationals to obtain a visa when travelling to Canada.

This new program will improve the overall processing times for all Mexican nationals especially those who have travelled to the United States or Canada within the last 10 years. These individuals will see visa processing times of 10 days or less, allowing visa officers more time to work on other applications.

According to the Canadian Government more than 34,000 visitor visas, student visas, and work permits were issued to Mexican nationals between January and April 2014. This is an increase of 20 per cent from the same period in 2013.

Earlier this year the Government launched the Multiple-Entry Visa (MEV) program. In April 2014 more than 95,000 MEVs, were issued to travellers allowing them to come and go from Canada for six months at a time for up to 10 years.

Minister Chris Alexander stated “This will further strengthen relations with our valued NAFTA partner and will help foster economic growth in both our countries.”

This is another example of ways the government is being more proactive with creating better options for travellers wishing to visit Canada.