Getting a UK or Canada visa from Mexico
You can apply for a UK or Canadian visa from inside Mexico. Canada's Express Entry needs no job offer; the UK's Skilled Worker visa needs a licensed employer to sponsor you first. Two things trip Mexican applicants up: Spanish earns no points in either system, and Canada's police certificate can only be requested once IRCC has asked for it.
Which route fits you
Canada: Express Entry. No job offer needed. You are scored on age, education, language and work history, and the highest scores are invited. Mexico was the largest source country for Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program in 2024, with 42,170 admissions (IRCC Annual Report 2025). Those are work permits, not permanent residence; Express Entry is the route to permanent residence.
Canada: category draws. IRCC's current categories are French-language proficiency, healthcare and social services, STEM, trades and education occupations (IRCC category-based selection). Candidates eligible for a category can be invited at lower scores than the general pool.
Canada: Provincial Nominee Program. A nomination adds 600 points to your Express Entry score, which all but secures an invitation. Each province sets its own streams and its own quota (IRCC: provincial nominees).
UK: Skilled Worker. A licensed employer sponsors you first. Then the salary rule: you must be paid whichever is higher, the general threshold or the going rate for your job. Care worker recruitment from overseas has closed since July 2025.
UK: Health and Care Worker. For qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals with a sponsor: lower fees and no health surcharge (gov.uk).
Study first. A Canadian study permit or a UK Student visa needs an offer from a licensed institution and proof of funds (IRCC, gov.uk). Neither is a work route by itself.
UK Ancestry does not apply. It is for Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent born in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, and Mexico is not a Commonwealth member (member list).
→ Work out your Canadian points: about two minutes, before you spend anything.
What it costs from Mexico
Fees are set in Canadian dollars and pounds, and you pay in those currencies. We do not convert to pesos: the rate moves too fast for a printed figure to stay right. Check the day's rate on HMRC's monthly exchange rates or with your bank, and expect your bank's rate to be worse.
| Official | |
|---|---|
| Canada PR, single adult (processing + right of permanent residence fee) | 1 590 $ (IRCC, en vigueur depuis le 30 avril 2026) |
| Canada biometrics | 85 $ (IRCC, en vigueur depuis le 2 juillet 2026) |
| UK Skilled Worker, up to 3 years | 819 £ (UK Home Office, en vigueur depuis le 8 avril 2026) |
| UK health surcharge | 1 035 £ (UK Home Office, en vigueur depuis le 6 février 2024) per year |
| UK Skilled Worker, 3 years all in | 3 924 £ (UK Home Office, en vigueur depuis le 8 avril 2026) |
The health surcharge is what most people miss. Over three years it costs more than the visa itself, and it is paid upfront.
What is different for Mexico
Visiting Canada needs a visa unless you hold a US visa. Since 29 February 2024 Mexican citizens only qualify for an eTA if they are flying and either currently hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years. Everyone else needs a visitor visa, and so does anyone arriving by land or sea (IRCC: eTA and visa changes for Mexican citizens). This changes nothing about how you apply for a work permit, a study permit or permanent residence.
Visiting the UK needs an ETA, not a visa. Mexico is not on the UK's visa national list, so for a visit of up to six months you apply for an electronic travel authorisation online before you fly (Appendix ETA National List). An ETA is for visits only; a Skilled Worker or Student application is a full visa application.
Spanish earns nothing, and you are not exempt from the English test. The UK exempts nationals of 18 majority-English-speaking countries and Mexico is not one of them, so a Skilled Worker application needs an approved test at level B2 or a degree that Ecctis confirms was taught in English (Appendix English Language). Canada scores only English and French, through CELPIP, IELTS General Training or PTE Core, or TEF Canada and TCF Canada; no test in Spanish counts (IRCC language tests).
Do not request your police certificate until IRCC asks. The document is the FGR's Constancia de datos registrales. IRCC sends you a file number and a letter after you apply, and you need both before the FGR will process it. You can apply in person at any FGR office, or by mail or in person through the Canada visa application centres in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey with two sets of ink fingerprints and six photos. From outside Mexico you can appoint someone with a power of attorney or an authorisation letter (IRCC: police certificate, Mexico).
No TB test. Mexico is not on the list of countries whose residents need a tuberculosis test for a UK visa of more than six months (gov.uk TB test list).
Your degree needs assessing for Canada. Express Entry needs an educational credential assessment from an IRCC-designated organisation, less than five years old when you submit your profile and your application (IRCC ECA). Biometrics for Canada are given at the visa application centres in Mexico City, Guadalajara or Monterrey (IRCC: find a visa application centre).
Voies et guides associés
Voir aussi
Que faire ensuite
Questions fréquentes
- Do I need a job offer to move to Canada from Mexico?
No. Express Entry does not require one. Until 2 November 2026 a job offer adds no points; from 3 November 2026 an offer in one of Canada's high-wage occupations adds 50 to 100 points, and 12 months of Canadian work in one can add up to 70.
- Does Spanish count for anything?
No. Canada scores English and French only; the UK scores English only. A degree taught in English can replace the UK test if Ecctis confirms it; Canada always needs a test.
- Can I still fly to Canada without a visa?
Only with an eTA, and only if you hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years. Otherwise you apply for a visitor visa. Work and study permit applications are unaffected.
- Do I need a visa to visit the UK?
No, an ETA. Mexico is not a UK visa national, so a visit of up to six months needs an electronic travel authorisation, applied for online and linked to your passport.
- How do I get the police certificate from abroad?
Wait for IRCC's letter and file number, then appoint someone in Mexico with a power of attorney or an authorisation letter to apply at the FGR for you, or send the application by mail to a Canada visa application centre in Mexico.
- How much money do I need to show for Canada?
It depends on family size and is set by IRCC. The money must be in an account you can prove you control; borrowed money and property equity do not count. Check the current figure.
- Which is cheaper, Canada or the UK?
Canadian permanent residence for a single adult is 1 590 $ (IRCC, en vigueur depuis le 30 avril 2026) in government fees plus biometrics. A three-year UK Skilled Worker visa is 3 924 £ (UK Home Office, en vigueur depuis le 8 avril 2026) once the health surcharge is included. But the UK route comes with a job and Canada's does not.
Règles vérifiées pour la dernière fois le 14 septembre 2026.