The government of Canada has announced a new program called “Entry/Exit”, which will allow it to keep track of an individual’s entries and departures from Canadian territory. This means the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) will be collecting and providing the IRCC with precise and up-to-date information on the movement of travellers across the Canadian border, in conformity with the Refugee Protection Act, the Citizenship Act and the Canadian Passport Order. The personnel to be employed for this program will have to pass a security clearance and other tests in order to have access to the system’s database.
In the past, Canada’s border officials used to collect information only upon entry, but from now on they’ll also collect departure information. The Entry/Exit Information System will be used by the IRCC as they conduct verification of information provided by people applying for permanent residency, citizenship, temporary residency, and Canadian travel documents. Moreover, the new program will help IRCC determine if sponsors have fulfilled their Canadian residency requirements when they’ve been asked to do so. Similarly, the government agency will be in a position to verify if people applying or admitted under the family class have been complying with the conditions stated. In the case of refugee status claims, now the government will have the means to see if a claimant was admitted into the country using their travel documents.
On a different note, the fight on immigration fraud will utilize the Extry/Exit program to access supporting information as they investigate cases. Finally, the new system will even help determine whether a medical exam will be needed at the time of assessing residency requirements.
What does this mean for you? You are being informed that information on your movement to and from Canadian customs is being collected. The Entry/Exit program simply means that the government is now better equipped to survey and control movement in and out of its borders, enabling itself to exercise well-informed decision-making on everything from entries and departures to immigration, passport and citizenship applications. North Horizon Immigration advises its clients to always abide by Canadian law.