By David Leija BearCanada announced it is lifting its visa requirements for Mexican citizens this week. Did you know... As we’ve traveled through 16 countries this past year, my Mexican passport has allowed me to travel freely throughout the americas without any visa restrictions. That means that I've paid exactly $0 this trip for visas as we cross borders. My cousin who is traveling with his US passport can’t say the same due to reciprocal visa policies or policies where countries simply make you pay the visa fee that your country charges its citizens when they visit. It’s easy to fall into the line of thinking that your Mexican or Latin-American citizenship is not as valuable. People everywhere told me I should travel with a US passport because it would be easier. Turns out that’s just another one of the endless myths we've encountered on this trip that turned out to be a lie. Mexico’s passport, along with many others in Latin America, is amongst the strongest in the world giving us visa-free access to 140 countries (amongst them all of Europe and now Canada since December). It is actually stronger than the US passport in the Americas and it is not even the strongest passport in Latin America; Brazil, Chile, and Argentina’s passports have even further reach. And while travel is not a priority for many, it’s still good to know. Our Latin American citizenship is much more stronger and valuable than they've lead us to believe. For my undocumented brothers and sisters; know that things will get better. The US will progress in its embrace of today's immigrants as more and more people are waking up to the realities of all that our community brings to the table. Despite the many obstacles with the current state of education in the US and the lack of access, we’re still arming ourselves with knowledge and attaining degrees in record-breaking numbers. We’ve got to keep making noise and accessing spaces where we can be heard. Should you ever find yourself outside this 'golden cage' that is the US now, or in the hopefully better future for whatever reason… know that there are many doors open out there… 140 to be exact. Always know your worth. And for our brothers and sisters with different passports from different Latin-American countries -here's the breakdown:
1. Chile 155 2. Brazil 153 3. Argentina 152 4. Mexico 139 5. Uruguay 137 6. Venezuela 132 7. Costa Rica 131 8. Panama 127 9. Paraguay 125 10. Guatemala 119 11. Honduras 116 12. El Salvador 115 13. Nicaragua 110 So basically if you were thinking about getting a passport from you or your parent's birth country -do it. This is just one of the countless ways I’ve felt empowered on this trip. Sources: The Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index 2016 www.passportindex.org |
DavidMuchacho simpatico EdgarEdgar is Christian. He loves soccer, traveling, and meeting new people. Archives
July 2016
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