Tips for Temporary Residents and Visitors Entering Canada by Land or Air
To avoid unnecessary troubles and ensure a smooth entry, let’s take a look at the current precautions when entering Canada via land or air. The year 2024 is expected to be a highly eventful and turbulent one for all Canadian immigrants, including current permanent residents, international students, temporary foreign workers, and those who are soon-to-be permanent residents, international students, or temporary foreign workers. You will notice significant changes in Canadian federal government immigration policies. Although Canada is a common law country, and both federal and provincial governments have written laws to regulate immigration policies, much of the practical operations are adjusted through administrative orders or fine-tuning of implementation details by relevant business units (such as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and regional or provincial immigration departments). Besides changes in visa policies, many people have observed that the entry inspections at airports and land borders have also changed. The most noticeable changes include an increase in cases of forced deportation at airports, stricter border document checks for temporary residents and visitors, and more rigorous financial checks for permanent residents and citizens crossing the border.
First, travelers holding an entry visa or Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) most commonly face issues where the reason for entry stated in their application does not match their actual activities. Visa holders should pay attention to whether they applied for a tourist visa or a business visa, while eTA holders (those with eligible visa-exempt passports) should avoid illegal work and study. Additionally, when entering, if you are carrying gifts, cash, or negotiable instruments equivalent to over CAD 10,000, you must proactively declare them and prepare relevant proof of origin. Additionally, if wearing expensive jewelry, it is advisable to declare it upon entry using original purchase proof and related documents and keep any receipts or documents provided by CBSA for future verification.
A special case to mention is the paper money used in funeral rites. Since most CBSA officers come from countries without a culture of using paper money, they cannot distinguish or understand how the paper money used in funeral rites is different from real money. If you are asked by CBSA for further inspection (i.e., Secondary Screening), directly request CBSA to have a translator or a colleague who understands Chinese to assist and stay calm. Never clash with or speak harshly to CBSA.
Secondly, travelers entering with a tourist visa or electronic authorization are typically asked about the purpose of their visit, the amount of money they are carrying, and their length of stay. Besides declaring amounts over CAD 10,000, the money carried should be within a reasonable range. For instance, if visiting for half a month, carrying CAD 100,000 in cash might require additional documentation to prove your intentions and purposes. Conversely, planning to stay for a month but only carrying a few dollars without other payment methods or accommodation arrangements will also arouse CBSA’s suspicion.
Furthermore, regarding the length of stay after entry, unless there are special circumstances or specific notations, CBSA usually stamps an entry mark on the passport (commonly for those entering with a tourist visa) without writing a departure deadline, or they do not stamp (common for visa-exempt passports). In such cases, the residence time granted by CBSA is based on the maximum time limit in your visa or visa waiver agreement, which could be 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, or up to 180 days. You must monitor your entry time (including time zone information, otherwise, it will default to Ottawa time) and the point of entry, and leave before the allowable residence time expires. If there is a special need to stay beyond the visa or eTA’s maximum allowed period, such as bringing a child to study or accompanying a family member for medical treatment, you can present relevant proof at the time of entry and apply for a Visitor Record from CBSA. Without special reasons and completed application requirements, avoid staying continuously up to the maximum allowable stay before leaving. An extreme case is repeatedly and continuously using the preset maximum stay period, then exiting to the United States for a short period and re-entering Canada to reset the allowed stay period. Such behavior may lead CBSA officers to question whether your visit purpose is genuinely temporary or short-term.
Finally, some additional reminders for study permit and work permit holders. Given the recent increase in document checks, if you need to re-enter after leaving, be sure to confirm 1) the validity of your passport, entry visa, or electronic travel authorization, 2) the validity of your residence permit (such as a study permit or work permit) and whether relevant special conditions are met without violations, and 3) other proof documents. For study permit holders, additional proof can include admission notices, and proof of enrollment. If, for special reasons, the official proof of enrollment does not indicate full-time student status, such as when the desired courses are full and no other courses are available or required, print the course registration records from the school’s registration system as proof. A small tip: transcripts are the best proof, but sometimes provide them as needed to avoid unnecessary trouble. For work permit holders, additional proof documents can include employee ID cards, job offer letters, labor contracts, or recent pay stubs issued by the company. Additionally, tax records (Notice of Assessment) or tax payment records are also good additional proof documents.
In summary, 2024 is a year of significant change for all Canadian immigrants, including permanent residents, international students, temporary foreign workers, and prospective immigrants, due to major shifts in federal government immigration policies. Airport and border entry inspections are becoming stricter, with more deportation cases and more rigorous financial checks for crossing borders. Travelers with entry visas or electronic travel authorizations should ensure their application reasons match their actual activities, and declare any cash or valuables exceeding CAD 10,000. Those entering on tourist visas should monitor their visa or eTA limits and avoid abusing the maximum stay limits. Study and work permit holders should ensure their documents are valid and carry relevant proof documents for smooth entry.
