Mexico to require visas for Peru nationals after migration spike

In recent years, Mexico has imposed visas for visitors of different nationalities, arguing that they were using its territory to surreptitiously enter the United States.

Mexico will require a visa application for Peruvian nationals seeking to enter Mexican territory, according to an announcement published in the official gazette on Friday, amid a recent surge of migrants from the South American country.

The measure, issued by Mexico's interior minister, will be temporary and take effect in 15 days, according to the gazette. In 2012, Mexico eliminated an earlier visa requirement for Peruvians who visit the country for up to 180 days. The measure led to Peruvians securing a place among the top 10 nationalities visiting Mexico.

The country has since seen a "substantial" increase in the number of Peruvians entering its territory "whose profile does not fit that of the genuine visitor or tourist and present inconsistencies in their documentation," the ministry asserted in the gazette entry. In recent years, Mexico has imposed visas for visitors of different nationalities, arguing that they were using its territory to surreptitiously enter the United States.