In Gatineau, hope that 'humiliating' Mexican visa requirements will soon be lifted

As the federal government works on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's commitment to lift visa restrictions for Mexicans visiting Canada, two people living in Gatineau say the current process is inconvenient and humiliating.

The visa restrictions came into effect under the Conservative government in 2009 after asylum claims from Mexico almost tripled from 2005 to 2008, reaching 9,511 in 2009.

After the visa restrictions were put in place the number of claims dropped drastically, to 1,349 in 2010, and the vast majority of asylum claims from Mexico were rejected.

The visa issue has been a long-standing irritant in Canada's bilateral relationship with Mexico, with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto's government pushing hard for a resolution.

Asylum seekers would be limited to 3,500

Trudeau formally committed to lifting the visa requirement during a face-to-face meeting with Peña Nieto on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, in November.

If the change proceeds, Canada would lift its restrictions if Mexico meets specific requirements as of Dec. 1.

Canada would only take in 3,500 asylum seekers. Information obtained by CBC News suggests that if the number goes over 3,500, Canada could re-implement visa requirements for some travellers.

Canada is looking for more co-operation from Mexican authorities to implement the change, including improved information sharing. Mexico could also be asked to establish a public awareness campaign aimed at Mexican nationals travelling to Canada.

'I found it humiliating'

Ramón Peralta y Fabi, director of the University of Mexico's campus in Gatineau, Que., said the information he needs to provide for visas has been difficult to acquire.

He was expected to fill out forms asking for, among other things, the addresses and workplaces of brothers and cousins, as well as all his bank accounts, he said.

"Personally, it made it difficult because the requirements to get the visa became very awkward ... I would say I found it humiliating," Peralta y Fabi told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Tuesday.

"It's a lot of ... very personal information that you wouldn't expect to be providing to get a visa to visit, say for tourism, in my case for family reasons. And I guess a lot of people just wouldn't go through the hassle of providing all that information or getting all the documents."

Listen to the entire interview with Peralta y Fabi and Eva Gastelum here.

Drop in university enrolment

When the visa restrictions came into effect in 2009, Fabi said his school noticed a dramatic drop in enrolment.

"We get something like 1,500 students every year, half of which are Canadians studying Spanish, and the others are Mexicans who come here for English and French," he said.

"The visa impacted in such a way that the next year we lost 40 per cent of the students from Mexico coming here for three weeks for intensive language studies."

Every year since, between five and 10 per cent of the students who apply for short-term visas were rejected, Fabi said.

'Such an inconvenience'

Eva Gastelum, a Mexican-Canadian living in Gatineau, Que., said the visa requirements have been inconvenient for her relatives, some of whom come to visit her in the summer.

"It just became a real inconvenience, trying to get the visa," she said Tuesday.

"It's such an inconvenience to get all the papers. If you don't live in Mexico City or Guadalajara or Monterrey, where they have the offices to process the visa, it's even worse because you have to travel, you have to spend some time in the cities, and it's a long process."

Gastelum said the change Trudeau committed to has "been a hope for many Mexicans for a long time.

"Of course it's an opportunity for the current government to get more votes or more people liking them. I totally trust that if they're considering doing it, they know it's the time to do it, security is not an issue or they can handle it, so it's good. If they have everything in place to go ahead and get rid of the visa, that's much better for all Mexicans, I'm sure," she said.