Migrants desperate to get into the US from Mexico often pay human smuggler ‘coyotes’ thousands of dollars to help sneak across the border in high-risk operations with no guarantees of safety or success.
But for travelers from a growing number of countries, gaining legal entry into Canada is simple, which has made The Great White North — with a much larger US border and less officers patrolling it — a more attractive option for illegally entering the US.
“It’s really easy for Mexican citizens to come into Canada as visitors, and then they have the opportunity to cross illegally into the United States,” Canadian immigration consultant Fernando Torres told The Post.
“It’s very easy. People from Mexico and Chile can come to Canada without a visa requirement,” said Torres, who emphasized his clients — refugees from countries including Mexico, Venezuela and Cuba — remain in Canada, and he doesn’t condone border jumpers.
The lenient visa requirements offered to Mexican and Chilean nationals through Canada’s electronic travel authorization (eTA) program were granted to 13 more countries last year including Morocco, Uruguay, Panama and Thailand.
Under the program, travelers from these countries who have held a Canadian visa anytime in the last 10 years are eligible to visit Canada and stay for up to six months with no visa required.
Getting permission to enter Canada by air through the eTA program “takes about five minutes to process and [costs] seven dollars,” Torres said.
However, the Canadian government comes down hard on anyone who overstays their welcome or breaks the strict terms of their visa, unlike in the US, according to Torres.
“In the United States, even though you are out of status, you can still get a license and get an education for you and your kids,” he claimed.
“If you decide to overstay in Canada, you are immediately removed from the system,” Torres said, which effectively renders the lollygagger a persona non grata in the country.
“You can’t drive, you can’t pay rent, you can’t get an education, you can’t get healthcare. Nobody can hire you in a serious company, so what is the point of that?”
As for why more migrants don’t just fly to the US and claim asylum, Torres says “it’s not that easy”.
In order to be granted refugee status in the US, a migrant must meet what is known as the nexus requirement — having a demonstrable fear of persecution in their home country specifically based on their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion.
“Not everyone has that justification,” he says, adding that getting a tourst visa for the US is also not so easy for many in South and Central American countries.
“The only opportunity a lot of people have to get to the United States is by walking because if they don’t have a visa, the airline company won’t allow them on the plane,” Torres said.
“Which is why so many people decide to go to Mexico and cross the border or now go to Canada and cross.”
Torres also said Canada’s unfamiliar frigid climate plays a role in migrants making their way south to the US.
“Even though Canada has more immigration opportunities to legalize their situation, Latin people don’t want to stay in Canada because of the weather,” he said.
Illegal crossings at the US’ southern border reached 2.3 million in 2023, capping off the year with a record 276,000 migrant encounters in December alone, according to Customs and Border Protection data.
A comparatively small 12,200 migrants illegally entered the US from the north last year, but that figure represents a 240% spike from 2022.