Mexican Citizens - Important Information

The Canadian Government released the news that as of February 29th, 2024 11:30 PM EST, Mexican citizens will only be able to apply for an eTA when traveling to Canada IF they hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or they have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years and are travelling by air on a Mexican passport. Therefore, Mexico will now be considered an eTA expansion country and their citizens will no longer be eligible to apply for their work permit upon entry to Canada, which is the method in which participants in the Camp Canada program apply for and obtain their work permits.

While the news release says, “Mexican citizens who hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years...”, that point is only to say that if you meet these criteria then you are eligible to apply for an eTA, as Mexico is now an “eTA expansion” country. Regardless of having an eTA, this change means you can no longer apply for your work permit upon entry to Canada.

As a result of this, we’ve decided to pause any further progression on First-Timer applications whilst we consider solutions and get a greater understanding of what action steps can be taken.

If you are a Mexican citizen with dual citizenship from one of these visa-exempt countries and you have a valid passport that you can use to travel to Canada with for the duration of your camp contract, then you do not need to complete the online work permit application. Please contact our team as soon as possible.

No. You do not need to submit a separate application for a visitor visa or eTA. Doing so does not speed up the processing time of your online work permit application or allow you to enter Canada to work. Once your online work permit application is approved by IRCC, you will be issued a visitor visa. You do not need an eTA if you hold a valid visitor visa.

Citizens from eTA expansion countries are not eligible to apply for their work permit at the port of entry (POE). Since Mexico is now considered an eTA expansion country (as of February 29, 2024, at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time), citizens of Mexico have to apply online for their work permit. 

Important: Please follow Camp Canada’s instructions to apply for your work permit online. Do not start an online work permit application independently if you would still like Camp Canada’s support. 

• The application process is more rigorous and requires you, as the participant, to collect and/or create more documents than you would have previously had to do to obtain your work permit at the border.
• There may be added travel required, should you need to travel to a Visa Application Centre (VAC) to give your biometrics after your application has been submitted.
• Application processing times for this work permit are unknown, might be quite lengthy and are out of our control. As a result of this, we will only be able to provide updates as we receive them.
• We do not advise you to book flights before your work permit has been approved. As a result, you may need to book flights with a quick turnaround time that could come at a higher cost.
• Once you have submitted your complete work permit application and all supporting documents to IRCC, you will then need to upload proof of this to your Camp Canada account.

You will be applying for an online work permit application (applying outside of Canada). There will be 2 seperate fees to pay:

• Application Fee ($155 CAD)
• Biometrics ($85 CAD)
  • You will need to travel to provide your biometrics in a Visa Application Centre (VAC)

You will be required to provide employment documents, there may be some overlap in the documents as long as all the information is provided:

1. Employment Reference Letter
   •  Your employers over the last 2 years. If you are a student and have not been employed, please provide this information with documentation from your school regarding your current program.
2. Letter from Current Employer
   • Your current position and salary. Again, if you are a student and do not have a current employer, please upload a letter from your school indicating your program and studies.
3. Employment Records
   • Similar to employment documents mentioned above. Should match the employment history listed on your application. 
4. Reciprocity Letter
   • We recommend that all participants provide this additional optional document with their applications. You can find this file in your Camp Canada portal ‘Documents’ > 'Downloads' > ‘Reciprocity for Camp Counsellors’.

We recommend you upload a letter from your school detailing your program and studies instead. Getting in contact with your previous employers may be difficult. Do the best you can with this and, if necessary, explain your situation in a brief document, as there is a short timeframe to submit your application.

Go to the ‘Documents’ section of your Camp Canada account. If there is a document titled ‘Fee Exemption’ under ‘Downloads’ then you are fee-exempt and do not need to pay the $155 CAD associated with the online work permit application. 

If you do not have this document in your Camp Canada account, then this means that you are not fee-exempt and you will be responsible for paying the fee.

Any documents that you are submitting with your online work permit application that are not in English or French should typically be accompanied by a certified translation. However, we understand that this can be difficult to obtain. It's important for you to not get stuck on this step so that you can submit your application as quickly as possible. 

If the Canadian Government requires more documentation from you after you submit your application then they will inform you via your IRCC account. 

After you submit your online work permit application to IRCC, you should receive a ‘Work Permit Submission Confirmation’ letter in your IRCC account confirming that they have received your application.

As soon as you receive this letter, please upload a copy to your ‘Documents’ section of the Camp Canada portal under ‘Work Permit Submission Confirmation’ so that our team can push your application forward as soon as possible. 

You may receive the following letters from the Government of Canada in your IRCC account:

1. Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL) - Once your work permit application is submitted, you may be asked to give your biometrics (if applicable). Follow the instructions in this letter to make a biometrics appointment within 30 days of receiving your letter. You can find your closest Visa Application Centre (VAC) collection site.

2. Passport Request Letter - Once a decision has been made on your application, you may also be issued a temporary resident visa (if applicable). You do not need to apply for this separately; however, you will need to submit your physical passport to a VAC so that they can insert your temporary resident visa into your passport before you can travel to Canada. Follow the instructions in this letter and submit your passport within 30 days of receiving your letter.

Once your online application is submitted to IRCC:

1. You will receive a Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL) from the Government of Canada.

2. Follow the instructions in this letter to make a biometrics appointment. You may refer to this link to find your closest Visa Application Centre (VAC) collection site. 

3. Visit the VAC’s website before you go to find out what services are available, and to check for fees.

4. Make sure to bring a printed copy of your Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL) with you to your appointment.

This is not your Port of Entry (POE) Letter of Introduction (Approval Letter).

Please follow the instructions you are given in the letter you receive from IRCC. 

There are 2 options to submit your passport. Here are links to the VAC website with more information and any necessary fees. Please ensure you follow the steps listed in the links below very carefully:

• • Submission in Person 

  • Submission by Courier

You will be notified by email upon the return of your passport from the IRCC Office to the Visa Application Centre (VAC). Here is more information on how to retrieve your passport:

• • Passport Collection

You are required to send the documents requested within 30 days of receipt of the letter from the IRCC. We advise you to complete the steps listed above as soon as possible.

Once you have been approved for a work permit, you will receive the following letter from the Government of Canada in your IRCC account:

1. Port of entry (POE) Letter of Introduction - This is your "Appoval Letter” that you must print out and bring with you to Canada to show the officer in order to obtain your physical work permit. Please upload your “Approval Letter” on your Camp Canada account in the ‘Documents’ section, under ‘Upload Now’, where it says ‘Approval Letter.’ You must complete this step in order to move forward in our portal.  

It is important to continue to check your emails, IRCC account, and Camp Canada account for updates throughout this process. 

If your application is denied, please email a copy of your letter to workpermits@campcanada.ca so that we can see the immigration officer’s reasoning for the refusal. Once we review this, we will be in touch with you regarding next steps.

Officially, it’s called the Port of Entry (POE) letter of introduction. But this letter is sometimes called the:

• • Correspondence letter
  • Introduction letter
  • Introductory letter
  • Approval letter

Please be advised that the Letter of Introduction is not your work permit. You must bring this letter when you arrive in Canada and tell the officer at the port of entry about your approved application in order to obtain your physical work permit.

As soon as you receive this letter, please upload a copy to your ‘Documents’ section of the Camp Canada portal under ‘Approval Letter’ so that our team can push your application forward as soon as possible.

If you're having trouble, please see our technical support article.