Moving to Canada from Mexico: Visas, CUSMA Work Permits and PR

Many Mexicans start with a work permit and apply for permanent residence after gaining Canadian experience.

Mexico, the US, and Canada are partners in the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA, called T-MEC in Mexico). Besides professionals, it covers intra-company transferees, business visitors, and traders and investors.

Mexico is on IRCC's visa-required list, but it is also one of the countries whose citizens can sometimes get an eTA instead of a visa. You qualify for the CAD $7 eTA only if you are flying to Canada and you either held a Canadian visitor visa in the last 10 years or hold a valid US nonimmigrant visa. Otherwise, or if you arrive by land or sea, you need a visitor visa (CAD $100 plus CAD $85 biometrics, as of September 2026).

If IRCC approves a study or work permit for you, it issues the visa or eTA you need at the same time.

Where to give biometrics. Most applicants aged 14 to 79 give fingerprints and a photo at a visa application center (VAC). IRCC lists VACs in Mexico in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey. If you live in another country, you can use any VAC. See our biometrics guide.

Why the rule changed. Mexicans were visa-exempt from 2016 until February 29, 2024, when Canada brought back the visa requirement for most Mexican travelers. Most eTAs issued to Mexicans before that date stopped being valid, except for people holding a valid Canadian work or study permit. Check your status on IRCC's site before you book travel.

Processing times depend on the country you apply from and change every week. Check the processing times tool before you plan a move date.

CUSMA professionals. If you are a Mexican citizen with a job offer from a Canadian employer in one of about 60 listed professions (such as engineer, accountant, computer systems analyst, or management consultant), you can get a work permit without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). You need the degree or credential listed for your profession, often a licenciatura. The employer pays a CAD $230 compliance fee and you pay CAD $155 for the permit (as of September 2026). Permits are usually issued for up to 3 years and can be renewed, and your spouse can apply for an open work permit. Most Mexicans apply online before traveling. See CUSMA professionals.

Seasonal farm work. Mexico is one of the countries in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP). Workers are recruited through Mexico's labor ministry, not by applying directly to Canadian farms, and can work up to 8 months between January 1 and December 15. SAWP does not lead to permanent residence by itself.

Other employer permits. Jobs outside the CUSMA list need an LMIA work permit. Low-wage LMIAs are refused in 26 of 41 metro areas for July 10 to October 8, 2026 (details).

For permanent residence, most Mexican professionals use Express Entry, often after working in Canada on a CUSMA or LMIA permit. Canadian work experience adds CRS points and qualifies you for the Canadian Experience Class after 1 year.

Express Entry covers three programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. From abroad, most people use FSW: at least 1 year of continuous skilled work (TEER 0 to 3) in the last 10 years, CLB 7 in English or French, an educational credential assessment for foreign degrees, 67 points on the FSW grid, and settlement funds (CAD $15,263 for one person in IRCC's current proof of funds table). Candidates are ranked by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and job offers stopped adding CRS points on March 25, 2025. Check your score with the CRS calculator.

2026 categories and how they fit:

Between July and mid-September 2026, French draws invited 5,000 candidates each with cutoffs of 382 to 420, a health care draw cut off at 475, and CEC draws at 516 to 523. There were no STEM, education, or trades draws in that period. See 2026 Express Entry categories and the draw tracker.

Quebec selects its own immigrants and requires French, which many Mexicans in Montreal learn. Its main worker program is the PSTQ.

Mexican students need a study permit for programs longer than 6 months. Programs of 6 months or less, such as short English or French courses, can be taken as a visitor.

Study permits in 2026. Canada caps new study permit applications: in 2026 IRCC accepts about 309,670 applications that need a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL). Most college and bachelor's students need one; master's and doctoral students at public institutions don't. You must show tuition plus living funds (CAD $23,448 for one person outside Quebec, for applications from September 1, 2026). See the study permit page and the 2026 cap.

After graduating, a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) needs CLB 7 for university graduates or CLB 5 for college graduates, and non-degree programs must be in an eligible field. Canadian study and work can add CRS points and lead to the Canadian Experience Class.

Working holiday: Mexico does not appear on IRCC's 2026 list of International Experience Canada (IEC) partner countries and territories, so Mexican citizens can't enter an IEC pool this season.

If your spouse or partner is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, they can sponsor you through spousal sponsorship, which is open in 2026 and usually has no minimum income rule. Parents can also sponsor dependent children. The Parents and Grandparents Program stopped taking new interest to sponsor forms on July 15, 2026, but the Super Visa still lets parents and grandparents visit for long periods.

If you fear returning to Mexico, talk to a lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC) before making a refugee claim, and read about asylum in Canada.

Language tests. IRCC accepts five tests for permanent residence: IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. IELTS Academic and PTE Academic don't count for Express Entry. Results are valid for 2 years. In Mexico, IELTS General Training and PTE Core are widely available. CELPIP-General is offered in only a few countries outside Canada, so check celpip.ca. TEF Canada and TCF Canada are offered at approved French-language centers. Convert your scores with the CLB converter and read the language tests guide.

Credential assessment. If you studied outside Canada, you need an educational credential assessment (ECA) from an IRCC-designated organization, such as World Education Services (WES), for FSW eligibility and CRS points. Doctors use the Medical Council of Canada and pharmacists use the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada. An ECA is valid for 5 years.

Police certificate. IRCC asks for a police certificate from each country where you spent 6 months or more in a row since age 18, usually after you apply for permanent residence. Mexico's police certificate for IRCC is the Constancia de datos registrales from the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR). In Mexico, apply in person at an FGR office or send the request through a visa application center. From abroad, give a representative power of attorney or submit through a VAC by mail. IRCC usually asks for it after you apply. Full details: IRCC's police certificate instructions for Mexico. See our police certificates guide.

You will also need an immigration medical exam with an IRCC panel physician when IRCC asks for it.

Mexican Canadians live mainly in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Montreal in Quebec, Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, and Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta. Seasonal farm workers spend much of the year in farming regions of southern Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Mexico has an embassy in Ottawa and consulates in several cities, including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, and Leamington.