Canada to reinstate visas for Mexican nationals after spike in asylum claims, report suggests

A Radio-Canada report says the federal government will reimpose some visa requirements on visiting Mexican nationals in response to a massive spike in asylum claims.

Officials have not confirmed the report, but Immigration Minister Marc Miller is expected to hold a press conference Thursday morning about “an update on immigration measures.”

The report from Radio-Canada says the changes are set to take effect that night at 11:30 p.m. ET.

The move comes amid increasing pressure from Quebec’s government, with Premier Francois Legault urging Ottawa to do more to mitigate the province’s inflow of asylum seekers.

Legault wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the situation was reaching a “breaking point” — and expressed particular concern over Mexican nationals.

“The possibility of entering Canada from Mexico without a visa certainly explains part of the influx of asylum seekers,” he said.

Legault’s immigration minister suggested on Wednesday that the government’s reported move proves that Quebec is being heard in Ottawa.

A spokesman for the Bloc Quebecois also cheered the news, saying the party had pressed the government for weeks.

Immigration Department data show asylum claims from Mexico have spiked since Trudeau’s Liberals were elected.

In 2015, there were only 110 such claims, but the number jumped to nearly 24,000 last year.

That’s in large part because Ottawa lifted the visa requirement for Mexican visitors in 2016.

Former Conservative immigration minister Jason Kenney, more recently a premier of Alberta, had introduced the measure in 2009.

He said in a series of social media posts Wednesday that the move allowed for faster asylum decisions for “bona fide claimants,” stemmed the flow of “bogus” claims and saved taxpayers millions.