OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada will reinstate some visa requirements for Mexican nationals on Thursday in a bid to curb the flow of asylum seekers, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp said, citing a senior official.
Last month the premier of Quebec, the second most populous of Canada’s 10 provinces, urged Ottawa to stem the flow of refugees and to compensate the province for costs.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said the lack of visa requirements for Mexican travelers meant more refugees were arriving by plane and complained the province’s social services were at a breaking point.
The office of Immigration Minister Marc Miller did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The federal Liberal government said last month it was weighing a number of measures to prevent Mexican nationals from flying into the country to request asylum.
Canada struck a deal with Washington last year to stem the flow of asylum seekers entering from the United States.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Chris Reese and Deepa Babington)
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