Since Monday, May 6, 2024, Mexico has been requiring all Peruvians to hold a visa in order to be permitted entry to the country.
Mexico initially planned to impose visa requirements on all Peru passport holders on April 20.
However, following Peru’s decision to reinstate visa-free entry for Mexicans, Mexico decided to postpone visa requirements for this nationality until May 6.
As the Mexican authorities have revealed, the decision to no longer permit visa-free entry for Peruvians was taken in an attempt to slow migration to the US, VisaGuide.World reports.
A high number of Peru nationals were using their visa-free travel opportunities to enter Mexico and then irregularly enter the US. To avoid this from happening, Mexico believes that the imposition of visa requirements for Peruvians is the right thing to do.
According to AP News, in addition to introducing visa requirements for Peruvians, Mexico has also eliminated the option of flying to a Mexican city that is near the US border.
While it is still too early to determine whether this measure will cut the influx of migrants from Peru to the EU, US diplomats have welcomed the tightening of the rules by Mexico.
US Officials Applaud Restrictions on Peruvians
Senior US officials have said that the visa requirements imposed by Mexico on Peruvians are an important tool in stopping irregular migration. The same have applauded the crackdown of Mexico on air travel from Peru.
On the other hand, critics have argued that shutting down air travel was not the best decision. As AP News explains, critics have said that this measure will encourage Peruvians to make more dangerous choices that may put their lives at risk.
A Peru national who flew from Peru’s capital to Tijuana and who was just recently released by the US Border Patrol on one of the San Diego bus stops said that people are going to come no matter the restrictions that are imposed.
He suggested that they would only change their plan on how they would reach the US, but they wouldn’t stop just because visa requirements had been imposed.
The large-scale migration from Peru to Mexico, with the purpose of reaching the US, started in 2022.
Data show that around 2,169 Peruvians were stopped in Mexico each month from January until the end of March.
The number of arrested Peruvians has also increased at the US border. The US Border Patrol arrested an average of 5,300 Peruvians per month last year. This average fell to 3,400 in the first three months of 2024.