Canadian visa requirement a “historical mistake”: Vicente Fox

Former Mexican president Vicente Fox has said Canada made a grave error with its decision to impose Canadian visa requirements on Mexican travellers last July.

"It's a historical mistake. We don't like to be requested visas here. We thought we were friends, partners," Mr Fox told the publication Embassy at the International Economic Forum of the Americas in Montreal.

Three weeks ago in a speech to the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, the current Mexican President Felipe Calderón discussed the dramatic drop in Mexican visitors to Canada because of the Canadian Visa requirement over the past year. He also diplomatically expressed his country's regret over that decision.

Canadian Immigration introduced the visa requirement for Mexico in July 2009 after an increase in refugee claims from the country, many considered unfounded and an unnecessary burden on the refugee system.

"We Mexicans, we are not criminals, we are not terrorists. I don't know where the confusion is and why that decision was taken," Mr Fox said.

"Instead of imposing visas, we should be building bridges, bridges of friendship, bridges of understanding. That's the way to go. Isolating yourself has no purpose. I don't know what the fear is in Canada," he told the Embassy publication.

You can read the Embassy story here.

The Canadian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people lodge their Canadian Visa applications with the Canadian Embassy.