Immigration Minister Mark Miller said Mexico did not warn Canada that the trade relationship between the two countries would be affected as a result of Canada's decision to re-impose visa requirements on Mexican travelers.

Miller said on Thursday in Ottawa: "Mexico, as a sovereign country, is allowed to take the actions it wants to take." "However, I had no indication that they would eventually respond."

He added, "I had no indication when I spoke with the Mexican Foreign Minister that there would be any trade repercussions."

CBC News first reported on Wednesday that visa requirements were reinstated for Mexican travelers, and the new rules will take effect at 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

Mexico said it had sent "two high-level delegations" to Canada in recent weeks to express its concerns about the impact of the policy change on 60% of Mexicans traveling to Canada.

A statement from the office of Foreign Minister Adriana Barrera said, "Mexico regrets this decision and believes there were other options available before implementing this measure." "Mexico reserves the right to act reciprocally."

Canada received more than 25,000 asylum applications from Mexican citizens last year, according to the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board — a number Miller says represents 17 percent of all asylum applications received by Canada that year.

Of those claims, 2,894 claims were accepted, 2,424 claims were rejected, 560 claims were abandoned, and 1,240 claims were withdrawn by applicants. By 2024, Canada had over 28,000 pending Mexican asylum claims.

Miller said Thursday: "Increasing volume, and lower success rate — there is a problem unrelated to the Immigration and Refugee Board and the independent judicial process." "Therefore, the government has the right and thus the duty to take the necessary actions."

Ontario, Quebec, United States expressed concerns

Miller said his government made the decision partly in response to pressure from the United States, which raised concerns about Mexicans traveling to Canada visa-free and then crossing into the U.S.

"We have seen a number of claimants crossing from the northern part of the border into the United States," he said. "I would not overstate those flows but they are large. They do not compare to what the United States faces regarding its southern border."

The minister said he was also motivated to take tough action after the provincial governments of Ontario and Quebec told him they were concerned about rising numbers of asylum seekers in their provinces.

Last week, Quebec Premier François Legault wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking Ottawa to reinstate visa requirements for Mexican travelers.

The prime minister wrote: "The ability to enter Canada from Mexico without a visa certainly explains part of the flow of asylum seekers."

New rules facing Mexican travelers

As of 11:30 p.m. today Thursday, Mexican citizens holding valid U.S. non-immigrant visas or who have had Canadian visas in the past ten years, and traveling to Canada by air, will be able to apply for electronic travel authorizations (ETA).

ETA is a digital travel document required by most visa-exempt travelers to travel to or through Canada by air.

Mexican travelers who do not meet these conditions will have to apply for a visitor visa to enter Canada.

The federal government said most approved visa applicants will receive multiple entry visas, allowing them to visit Canada multiple times as they wish over 10 years or until their passports expire.

The government said in a media statement that Mexican citizens wishing to work or study in Canada will not be affected by the changes, nor the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program.

The government said Mexicans holding valid work or study permits who are outside Canada can still travel here by air using their current electronic travel authorization, provided it is valid, and can continue to study or work in Canada based on the validity and conditions of their permits.

Miller said Canada is working to expand its network of visa application centers in Mexico to meet demand.

The Conservative government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper imposed the visa requirement on Mexico in 2009 to stop the flow of asylum claims. The Trudeau government eased these restrictions in 2016.

Speaking in Ottawa on Thursday, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said the visa system Harper put in place "eliminated" fake asylum claims from Mexico, and that the visa requirement "should never have been lifted by Trudeau."