Canada’s decision last summer to require visas for visitors from Mexico and the Czech Republic has curbed skyrocketing refugee claims from the two countries, according to the latest statistics obtained by the Star. The influx of Czech Roma refugees has also fallen to a trickle, from a peak of 448 in May to just one in December. A total of 2,202 Czech Roma sought asylum in Canada in 2009, though only 10% of their claims were accepted, a drop from 43% in 2008.
