Mexico holds Canada’s most layered Latin American relationship.
From seasonal agricultural workers in 1974 to NAFTA in 1994 to CUSMA in 2020, no other Latin American country has built such layered ties with Canada. Three pathways shape how mexicans move today.
From Mexico to Canada
It started in 1974
When Mexico became the first Latin American country to send workers to Canada under a bilateral migration program.
Twenty years later, NAFTA opened doors to professionals across more than 60 occupations. In 2020, CUSMA modernized that framework. Today, Mexico is the number one source country for agricultural workers, one of Canada’s largest CUSMA workforce sources, and Canada’s top Latin American trading partner. Those layers, built over more than 50 years, still work in your favor.
Eight months. Nine provinces. Five sectors.
How the seasonal contract actually works.
The maximum stay per season is eight months, between January 1 and December 15 of the same calendar year. The employer must guarantee a minimum of 240 hours of work within any six week period. Workers cannot remain in Canada past December 15, regardless of when they arrived. The program is designed around the agricultural calendar, not the immigration calendar.
Nine provinces participate: Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Ontario hosts about 90% of mexican workers, with concentrated activity in Leamington and the Niagara region. British Columbia joined SAWP in 2004 and has grown steadily since then, reaching over 5,400 mexican workers and 472 employers by 2016.
Five sectors qualify: fruit, vegetables, greenhouse production, tobacco, and ornamental plants and flowers. Workers do not choose their sector. Employers apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment specifying the role, the Mexican Ministry of Labour selects and matches workers to those positions, and WALI Canada coordinates logistics. Workers cannot be transferred to a different employer without written approval from Service Canada. Many workers return to the same farm year after year, sometimes requested by name.
240
Minimum hours per 6 weeks
90%
Of workers concentrated in Ontario
$170M
CAD in remittances (2014)
Named return
Many workers return yearly, requested by name
Four categories. No LMIA. Spouse OWP.
CUSMA replaced NAFTA in 2020 and allows mexican citizens to work in Canada without an LMIA, across four categories: professional (60+ occupations), intra-company transferee, trader, and investor. Permits can be valid for up to three years. The rules under the treaty are identical for mexicans and americans.
The permit also includes three benefits for the family.
Spouse open work permit
CUSMA holders remain eligible even after the January 2025 restrictions tightened other spousal pathways.
Free K-12 schooling
Children can attend Canadian public schools without a separate study permit.
Path to permanent residence
After one year of CUSMA work, you become eligible to apply through the Canadian Experience Class.
Visitor visa, with exceptions.
Since February 29, 2024, Canada reintroduced a visitor visa requirement for most mexican citizens. The eTA remains available only for air travel, and only for those who hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa in the past ten years. Travel by car, bus, train, or boat still requires a visitor visa. The visitor visa (TRV) costs $100 CAD plus an $85 CAD biometrics fee, arrives as a sticker on the passport, and is typically valid for up to ten years. The eTA costs $7 CAD, is usually approved within minutes, and is valid for up to five years.
Read the complete Mexico visa guide →Refuge follows a different law.
Mexican nationals filed approximately 24,000 refugee claims in Canada during 2023, representing about 17% of all asylum applications that year. Many cases involve organized crime violence, gender-based persecution, threats against journalists, and risks faced by LGBTQ+ individuals. The legal pathway to qualify as a Convention refugee or person in need of protection is governed by canadian and international law.
Read the complete refugee claims guide →Since 1996. Representing latin americans.
Three decades, mexican clients from day one.
We are a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consulting firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Our practice is led by a chilean-canadian RCIC who has spent more than three decades guiding mexicans, chileans, colombians, peruvians, and other Latin Americans through the Canadian immigration system.
We understand CUSMA categories, SAWP contracts, the post 2024 visa changes, and the practical questions that government websites never answer. We work in Spanish and English, and our approach is built on transparency, accurate legal advice, and long-term relationships with the people we represent.
Learn more about us →Your move from Mexico to Canada deserves precise case analysis and complete documentation.
Book a free assessment with a licensed RCIC. We review your case against CUSMA, SAWP rules, and the post-2024 visa changes, and design the right pathway for your specific situation.
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