Any Other Canadians Feeling A Little "Antsy" About Visiting Mexico??

[TCF]

We love Mexico and have always felt very safe in all the MR ports we have visited....but the recent 'bone head' move by the Canadian government to require ALL Mexican citizens to have Visas to enter Canada has really PO'd the Mexican government. It means that thousands of Mexican citizens are being denied entry to Canada.

 

I am wondering....and concerned ....that Mexico may just retaliate against Canadian citizens visiting Mexico...once we get there!

 

Anyone else having these concerns??

[quincytoo]

We love Mexico and have always felt very safe in all the MR ports we have visited....but the recent 'bone head' move by the Canadian government to require ALL Mexican citizens to have Visas to enter Canada has really PO'd the Mexican government. It means that thousands of Mexican citizens are being denied entry to Canada.

 

I am wondering....and concerned ....that Mexico may just retaliate against Canadian citizens visiting Mexico...once we get there!

 

Anyone else having these concerns??

 

LOL I thought OMG not YOU with a "Is Mexico safe " thread......LOL :rolleyes:

 

I had a fleeting moment when it was first announced but truly I don't think Mexico will do this, through they have every single right too. Plus isn't the card they give you on the flight, cruise ship, border the same thing as a visa??

[gargoyle999]

Interesting. DW is US resident but Canadian citizen. I hadn't heard about this issue before. We'll have to watch for any changes on this. We'll be there in December.

[CowPrincess]

Sad to say, I honestly don't think the Mexican gov't is in any position to retaliate -- half of western Canada goes to Mexico during the winter. We are an important source of income to Mexico, and I don't think they can afford to annoy us. Whereas not that many Mexicans visit Canada, y'know?

 

If truly THOUSANDS of Mexicans are being denied entry, where's the problem? Are they lacking the visas to which they are entitled, or are some/many of them not eligible for visas?

 

edited to add: (from here) http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090714/national/cda_visas_mexico_czech

 

"266,000 Mexican tourists to Canada per year"

 

"But Mexico is also the largest source of refugee claims in Canada - 9,400 last year, with only 11 per cent deemed legitimate."

 

Don't want to turn this political, don't want to state my opinion on immigration, don't want to discuss whether or not I feel these measures are justified.

[leoandhugh]

And unless you go ashore wearing a Tshirt emblazoned with the Maple Leaf, how is the average Mexican in a cruise port going to know of what country you are a citizen!!!:D

[rottiemom]

It could be worse, you know....they could think you are an American!

[Breezin]

:rolleyes:If your really that worried,maybe you should change your travel plans or stay on the ship.JMO

[TCF]

I'm not worried about safety issues. Mexico is like anywhere else in the world when oit comes to safety....keep your eyes open....watch your surroundings ....and don't do anything stupid and you'll be as safe as you are at home.

 

It is the political 'tit for tat' that the politicians get to playing when they are bored without enough to do!!

 

Little Stevie Harper and his band of Merry Dimwits cut the access to Canada to Mexican nationals with very little notice....and in some cases well after they have booked long term vacations here.

 

I am just concerned the Mexican government would do the same thing making it very difficult for Canadians with cruises already booked and no time to get a Visa from the Mexican government.

[Wanderlust26]

A single entry visa for Canada is $75 or approx. US $68. I’m sure that most Mexican tourists, who can afford a holiday in Canada, can also afford $75 for a visa.

[gomexico]

It means that thousands of Mexican citizens are being denied entry to Canada.

 

Not true. Many Mexicans ignored Canadian law and entered and stayed in the country in violation of the law, and some abused the Canadian legal provisions regarding the claim of asylum. The average Mexican is unaware of the Canadian regulations, or even the regulations of their own count5ry, so why would you expect to be met with hostility when visiting the country? Let's not make a mountain out of a mole-hill.

[bzy1]

Mexico has required an FMT Visa for all visitors entering Mexico for years and years and years, by land, sea or air. I think they around $30 US.

 

Next, no one would know you are Canadian unless you have maple leaf patches, clothes, tattoos, etc. While it was a prerequisite for all Canadians to wear these things while traveling in Mexico, maybe it is a good idea to forgo them now ;) J/K

 

Really, you will be fine. Mexicans are not likely to confuse a typical Canadian vacationing via cruise ship in Mexico as one of the Politicians who changed the rules.

[daryleann]

Quincytoo: as per your comment/question

Plus isn't the card they give you on the flight, cruise ship, border the same thing as a visa??

the answer is no it is not a visa. It is simply a paper to track that 'who goes in comes out' - sort of. Every country has one if you arrive by air or land. When you arrive by sea, it is a bit different as the cruise lines give the names ahead of time.

BTW- Australia requires a visa for most countries so those countries usually require Aussies to have a visa; 'reciprocity' (visa = paper stuck on a page in your passport and it costs - [LOTS for Brazil and Russia])

[quincytoo]

Quincytoo: as per your comment/question the answer is no it is not a visa. It is simply a paper to track that 'who goes in comes out' - sort of. Every country has one if you arrive by air or land. When you arrive by sea, it is a bit different as the cruise lines give the names ahead of time.

BTW- Australia requires a visa for most countries so those countries usually require Aussies to have a visa; 'reciprocity' (visa = paper stuck on a page in your passport and it costs - [LOTS for Brazil and Russia])

I had always assumed it was a visa of some type, I was wrong.

 

Thank you for replying :)

[bzy1]

daryleann,

Actually, it is a tourist Visa. It is called an FMT Visa and if lost or stolen you have to go to immigration (office across from the cruise ship dock or at the airport) to have it replaced and pay a fine, that is why they tell you to DO NOT LOSE IT. As well, you pay for it in the price of your airline tickets, or cruise ship tickets or you pay directly when you cross the border.

It is a Visa, not simply a piece of paper to track people. Granted, it does not have all the requirements of other Visas in Mexico or other tourist Visas in other countries but it is a Visa with a time limit of a maximum of 180 days.

[daryleann]

bz1: I was referring in general to the papers given as one flies toward a foreign country. Upon going thru passport control, they tell you to keep in passport and return it as you depart from the country. This is NOT a visa. Visa is purchased from the embassy before you leave your country (AU, BR, USSR) or at the border of the visiting country (Cambodia, Jordan, Turkey). [as I said, cruise ships have different 'rules' and sometimes one can go ashore for the day without a visa. Depends on the locale.]

 

Interesting to know that the Mexican one is called a tourist card - maybe the other countries call it that, too. Never really asked. You may find this interesting...

http://www.mexicomike.com/books/techstuff.htm