Mexico affirms that the visa requirement for Peruvians is “temporary” and due to irregular migration

The Mexico’s embassy in Peru stated this Monday that the decision of the Government of his country to impose the visa to the Peruvians that they want to enter their territory is a temporary measure, which was taken due to the increase in irregular migration to North American countries.

“This measure is temporary in nature and from time to time it will be analyzed and evaluated by the Mexican Government.“, declared to journalists the head of Political Affairs of the Mexico’s embassy in Peru, Adolfo Cepeda.

The official added that depending on whether it can “regularize this irregular migration phenomenon“what your country faces”and in open and direct dialogue with the Peruvian authorities, together generating cooperative actions that allow these numbers to be reduced, then the measure will eventually be eliminated”.

Cepeda He stressed that the decision, announced last Friday by his country and which will come into effect this April 20, ““It is due to a situation of an irregular migration phenomenon that has arisen.”

“It is a measure that the Mexican Government sees the need to implement in the spirit of being able to encourage, promote, a more regular migration, and in the face of an evident increase in Peruvian nationals who were arriving in Mexico with the objective of being able to transit through the country and reach a destination in northern countries”, he noted.

The Mexican representative added that the decision “It does not obey any other reason than one that is obviously humanitarian in nature, because in addition, what it specifically wants is to be able to prevent these people from being hooked by organized crime groups or human trafficking groups and in this way protect their human rights.”.

“Through the installation of a visa measure we can guarantee that the people who are arriving in Mexico have the specific objective of tourism or business.“, he said before reporting that “are exempt from this requirement” Peruvians who have a valid visa or permanent residence from the United States, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Japan or the European countries of the Schengen area.

Peru’s position

After learning of the decision of the Mexican authorities, the Government of Peru announced last Saturday that it will also impose a visa for citizens of Mexico, in application of the “principle of reciprocity”.

This Monday, the Peruvian Foreign Minister, Javier González-Olaechea, stated that he does not rule out that the imposition of these visas on Peruvians to enter Mexico responds to diplomatic tensions between both nations.

Bilateral diplomatic relations are maintained at the level of chargé d’affaires after the open rejection of the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, of the Peruvian president, Dina Boluarte, whom he even described as a “usurper”, after having assumed the leadership of State after the failed self-coup of Pedro Castillo, on December 7, 2022.

In addition to the withdrawal of ambassadors, this confrontation caused López Obrador to refuse to hand over to Peru the pro tempore presidency of the Pacific Alliance in 2023, in a situation that was only resolved after the intermediation of Chile.

In November 2012, Mexico had eliminated the visa requirement for Peruvians as visitors without permission to carry out paid activities, with the aim of streamlining the flow of people and commerce.