Member Article

Did You Know What Customs and Border Officials Can and Can’t Do?

If you want to travel to Canada from a neighboring country, you would want your border crossing to go on smoothly. You don’t want to get detained at the borders off course. You might have plans to settle in the new country because of improved living conditions or better work environment. However, over the last few years there have been a number of arrests of immigrants at the border because of improper documents or for having any kind of criminal records. Hence, anyone who wants to enter into Canada from any border side needs to know their rights. Also, they need to know what the border officials can do and can’t do to the immigrants.

Planning To Visit Canada Generally, when you plan to enter Canada, a border service officer might want to see the passport as well as valid visa. Generally, a US citizen will be required to show a passport and passport card and an enhanced license. Even when one is travelling by land or through air will need to have these documents or they won’t be denied entry. In case. The visitor is a US. Green Card holder, they won’t need to have a visitor visa for travelling to Canada. However, one would require having an eTA, if one plans to fly through Canada. Apart from the eTA one would require:

• Proof of status in the US
• Your valid passport The border service officials will try to verify the eTA. Even when a person aims to travel through air they need to be screened properly at the airport by the custom officials. It is usually done to check if the immigrant is carrying any kind of illegal weapons or not. It is also done to ensure that no kind of drugs is being brought to the country for illegal use.

International Border: High Level of Security Whenever you cross the international border, you get to see high level of security. It is not just paranoia. In fact every country has the right to deny entry to non-residents. Usually, non-residents are subjected to warrantless searches and even detention on having any kind of suspicion. Even border officials can detain a person if they suspect that the person is not speaking the truth about their residency and citizenship. However, a non-resident can seek the services of a immigration lawyer and an interpreter when they are detained at the border or airport. If you want to learn about the responsibilities of a border official, you can go through rest of the blog. Generally, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is generally an agency that is responsible for border enforcement, custom services, and immigration enforcement. Thus, their main role would include:

• Screen the person who is entering Canada and also removing those who have unlawfully entered.
• All goods that are entering Canada should be subject to examination by the border or custom officials. It can be in the form of personal questioning or searches. Searches are done in compliance to Custom and immigration legislation.
• They can seize item which is considered to be obscene.

Things They Can’t Do

• The border officials can search the phone if it’s not password protected. Even if it’s protected they can’t force people to provide the password.
• In case the officials want to search any electronic devices, they should have a supervisor with them in the room. Unless the supervisor signs anything they can’t seize the electronic device.
• A person has the right to remain silent in case they have sensitive data with them like trade secrets. You can ask for a lawyer and the custom or border official is bound to provide you with a lawyer.
• The custom or border officials are bound to provide a copy of information that they obtained from the client. However, with a little bit of effort, you can get it on time.

Hopefully, by this time you must have become aware of the rights of the customs and border officials. Once you know them your transition to new country would become smooth.

With over 30 million visitors comes to Canada either from other countries or just by crossing the borders. However, they need to do a thorough checking of the immigrants or people who are entering Canada. This is done to ensure that the person who enters to Canada is not identified as an inadmissible person. This would ensure that the country Canada remains a safe place for the Canadian citizens as well as for the permanent residents who have come to reside in Canada for a better future.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by immigrationways .