Key Takeaways
• Most Mexican tourists now require a Temporary Resident Visa to visit Canada as of February 29, 2024.
• Tourism losses may reach $997 million CAD over ten years due to Canadian visa policy changes for Mexican visitors.
• Only travelers with a valid US visa or recent Canadian visitor visa can use eTA; others must apply for a full visa.
Canada 🇨🇦 made major changes to its visa policy for Mexican tourists in early 2024 that are still affecting both travelers and businesses in 2025. The country introduced strict new rules, making it much harder for most Mexican citizens to visit Canada. This big shift happened because of rising numbers of people from Mexico asking for asylum after arriving as tourists, which caused worries about the fairness and cost of Canada’s system. However, the changes have also hurt Canada’s tourism market and created money losses for travel companies, hotels, and local attractions. As reported by VisaVerge.com, industry groups, governments, and travelers are still dealing with the results, and everyone is watching closely to see if the rules might change again.
Mexican tourists, along with Canadian tourism businesses, travel agents, hotel owners, and provincial leaders, all want clear answers. The biggest questions are clear: Who can still visit Canada? How hard is it to get permission? And what does this mean for people on both sides of the border?
Let’s break down what changed, why it happened, how it’s affecting the people involved, and what everyone should look out for in the coming months.
What Changed for Mexican Tourists Visiting Canada 🇨🇦?
As of February 29, 2024, the Canadian government updated its entry requirements for most Mexican citizens. Until then, many Mexican travelers could visit Canada without first getting a full visa. They usually just needed an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), which was a much faster and easier approval given online.
But starting at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time on that date:
– Most Mexican tourists now need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), which is a visitor visa. This means filling more forms, paying a higher fee, waiting longer, and providing more personal information.
– Only Mexicans who have a current, valid United States 🇺🇸 nonimmigrant visa (such as a tourist visa that lets them visit the US for a short time), or those who have held a Canadian visitor visa at some point in the last ten years, can still use the eTA.
– For those eligible for the eTA, it can only be used if they are flying into Canada, not if they arrive by land or sea, and only on a Mexican passport.
– All eTAs approved for Mexicans before February 29, 2024 were canceled unless the person also held a valid Canadian work or study permit.
– Anyone else, no matter their travel reasons, must now apply for a full TRV and cannot get in with an expired or canceled eTA.
These new rules mean that most Mexican travelers must now plan farther ahead, gather more documents, and possibly deal with longer waiting times before they can book trips to Canada. This has frustrated many would-be tourists and upset the tourism industry across Canada.
Why Did Canada 🇨🇦 Make These Changes?
The main reason, according to Canadian officials, was a big jump in the number of people from Mexico using tourist visas or eTAs to get into Canada and then applying for asylum (which means they say they need protection because they are not safe in their home country). The government said:
- Over 25,000 Mexicans asked for asylum in Canada in each of the last few years. This is almost 1 out of every 6 asylum claims received by Canada from people all over the world.
- A lot of these asylum applications were either refused by immigration officers or the travelers themselves took back their request, suggesting the system was being stretched by people who might not really need protection.
- Canada said the large number of claims overloaded the immigration processing system and made it harder to handle other cases fairly.
- The Canadian government also pointed out that the cost of taking care of so many asylum seekers—giving them shelter, health care, and support—was hurting both its budget and its ability to help real refugees.
Their answer was to tighten the rules for Mexican tourists, making sure that those who come are more likely to return home at the end of their visit and less likely to claim asylum. The new stricter eTA system tries to let in only those with good travel records, like those with US visas or Canadians visitor visas in the past decade.
Still, the move set off a wave of reaction, especially from people working in tourism and trade.
The Impact on Canada’s Tourism Industry
Big Losses in Tourism Income
Right before the new policy was put in place, a government report warned that Canada 🇨🇦 could lose up to $997 million Canadian dollars in tourism money over ten years because fewer Mexican tourists would visit. In 2023 alone, Mexican tourists spent over $750 million Canadian dollars in Canada. In Ontario, they were one of the top five groups of international visitors, spending $236 million a year and staying for an average of sixteen days per trip.
- These longer trips help not only hotels and airlines but also restaurants, shops, taxi drivers, and event venues, especially in big cities like Toronto.
- After the change, tourism groups quickly reported a spike in cancellations:
- Beth Potter, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, said, “Certainly we’ve already seen cancellations… This troubling trend underscores serious implications on tourism revenue.”
- Andrew Siegwart, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, added, “We need policy measures that make it easier—not more difficult—for visitors… As operators shoulder debt repayments amid inflationary pressures.”
Tour companies, hotel managers, festival planners, and travel agents all reported that after the announcement in February 2024, they lost big blocks of bookings for spring and summer—especially April through May. Many had to pay out cancellation refunds and lost money spent on advertising and preparing for these groups.
The “Trade-Off”: Saved Money on Asylum Processing
The Canadian government responded by saying that the stricter rules would actually save the country about $6.6 billion Canadian dollars over ten years. This is because the country would spend less on processing large numbers of asylum requests and less on shelter, health care, and other support for claimants.
While this is a big saving, businesses in the tourism industry say that cutting off nearly a billion dollars from travel income every ten years brings its own set of problems—especially as many small companies are still trying to recover from COVID-era losses.
Changing Trends in Travel
Interestingly, as fewer tourists from Mexico 🇲🇽 are traveling to Canada 🇨🇦, more Canadians are going to Mexico. Mexico reported new records of visitors arriving from Canada in early 2025. Experts say Canadians are looking for trips to Mexico because the peso’s value dropped, making travel there cheaper compared to the Canadian dollar, and there’s still leftover demand from months of lockdown. This flow of Canadians to Mexico helps a little bit, but it doesn’t fully replace the lost connections or income for Canadian businesses that used to rely on Mexican visitors.
Who Can Still Use the Electronic Travel Authorization?
Let’s make things clearer for Mexican tourists thinking about coming to Canada 🇨🇦. Here’s a simple chart of the main rules:
- If you have a valid US nonimmigrant visa or you had a Canadian visitor visa in the last 10 years:
- You can apply for an eTA, but only for flights (air travel) directly from Mexico 🇲🇽 on your Mexican passport.
- If you do not have one of these visas or you are traveling by land or sea:
- You must get a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), no matter your travel record or purpose.
All eTAs approved before February 29, 2024, are canceled unless they were linked with a valid Canadian work or study permit.
If you’re unsure if you qualify, the first step is to visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website for the latest official updates and online application forms.
Ongoing Pushback and What Industry Leaders Want
Tourism associations and business leaders have not been quiet about these changes. They are asking the government for a few main things:
- Faster, easier visa processing for affected travelers, especially people who booked travel before the sudden policy change.
- Specific programs to let tour groups, business visitors, or school exchanges keep coming with less trouble.
- Clearer, faster communication about who can and cannot enter and better support to help businesses explain changing rules to customers.
So far, Migration authorities in Canada have not announced new staff, special help for high-value groups, or test programs to help key types of travelers. This means people wanting to visit may still wait weeks—sometimes months—for their visa, especially with the busy summer season ahead.
Mexico’s government is talking to Canadian officials, asking for more exceptions and friendlier access. But as of April 2025, Canada 🇨🇦 hasn’t made big changes or introduced new special rules.
Advice for Travelers and Canadian Businesses
If you’re a Mexican citizen thinking about coming to Canada 🇨🇦 this year:
- Double-check if you’re eligible for the eTA under the new rules. Don’t assume that a past approval is still good.
- If you only have tickets by land or sea, or you don’t have a qualifying US or Canadian visa, plan ahead and get your Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) long before your trip.
- Book early and be ready for possible delays, especially if you need to visit a consulate or embassy for paperwork.
For businesses in Canada 🇨🇦 that usually serve Mexican tourists:
- Prepare for fewer visitors from Mexico this year and possibly fewer next year too.
- Make sure your staff understands the new rules so they can help clients avoid visa problems and explain refund policies.
- Look for new groups of travelers from other countries while still supporting advocacy to change or speed up the eTA and TRV processes.
A Wider Context: Changing Patterns Across North America
The stricter policies in Canada 🇨🇦 for Mexican tourists are part of a bigger shift in travel rules and border controls around the world in 2025. Each country is weighing the need to keep borders secure and stop misuse of travel systems against the money and friendly ties that come with tourism.
Trade arguments and new tariffs between North American countries are also making things harder for some businesses and travelers, but as of now, they have not directly led to even tougher travel or visa rules.
The main lesson is that what is happening between Canada and Mexico shows how one policy decision can quickly change the way people and money move across borders. It is a good example of how security, fairness, and economic health must all be balanced carefully.
The Bottom Line for 2025
Canada 🇨🇦 made these rule changes to reduce the number of false asylum claims and government costs linked to that. Now, most Mexican tourists need a full visa and cannot just use the simpler, low-cost Electronic Travel Authorization unless they meet new, strict requirements. The result has been more paperwork and waiting for visitors, less money for hotels and tour operators, and frustration for many.
At the same time, the government believes this is helping keep the system fair for true refugees and saving tax dollars. Summer is coming, and both sides—travelers and businesses—are keen to see if Canada makes the visa or eTA process any easier in the months ahead.
For anyone watching, traveling, or working across borders, VisaVerge.com recommends checking official government updates, planning well in advance, and being ready to adapt to new developments. The situation could change again, and those who stay informed will avoid the worst surprises.
Learn Today
Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) → A visa required for many foreign visitors to enter Canada, involving more paperwork, higher fees, and a longer approval process.
Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) → An online pre-approval required for some travelers to Canada, usually quicker and simpler to obtain than a traditional visa.
Asylum Claim → A request for protection by someone who cannot safely return to their home country due to persecution or danger.
Nonimmigrant Visa → A U.S. visa that allows foreign nationals to enter the United States temporarily for tourism, business, or study purposes.
Tourism Industry Association → An organization representing businesses and professionals involved in tourism, such as hotels, travel agents, and attractions.
This Article in a Nutshell
Canada’s 2024 visa changes severely impacted Mexican tourism and businesses, causing financial losses. Most Mexican citizens now need a full Temporary Resident Visa, increasing paperwork and delays. Only those with valid US visas or a Canadian visitor visa in the last decade qualify for easier eTAs, limiting spontaneous trips.
— By VisaVerge.com
