Latest electronic pre-screening news What does eTA mean for the criminally inadmissible? AUGUST 2016 – Last summer, Canadian Immigration began accepting applications for the then-forthcoming electronic Travel Authorization system (eTA), which subsequently launched earlier this year on March 15th. Beginning on September 30th, 2016, Canadian immigration authorities will be required to pre-screen and authorize visa-exempt foreign nationals traveling or transiting through Canada by air before
Canadian Immigration News
Summer 2016 Tips to Enter Canada with a DUI
Part 1: What vehicle-related offenses put me at risk of criminal inadmissibility? The summer months offer much-needed time for travel and leisure, and Canada is a prime destination for many vacationers. No one likes having their travel plans disrupted, but unforeseen difficulties can arise if you have a criminal record. Drinking and driving lead to some of the most frequent criminal charges that can affect
Wisconsin man tries to cross Canadian border concealed in pickup truck
Border officers apprehend 58-year-old man attempting to enter the country illegally MANITOBA, June 2016 – On Monday, June 13th, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers discovered something unexpected in the back of a pickup truck: an American traveler hiding under a pile of camping supplies in an alleged attempt to cross the border into Manitoba. As reported by the CBC, CTV, Winnipeg Free Press, and
Sucker punch lands Kelowna man under deportation order in jail
Former refugee found criminally inadmissible to Canada in 2009 KELOWNA, May 2016 – A criminally inadmissible Kelowna resident under a five-year-old deportation order was recently jailed for an assault conviction involving a sucker punch thrown in a bar fight in September 2014. Steven Edward Kollie was found guilty of assaulting Michael Martin outside a downtown Kelowna nightclub called Sapphire. Kollie delivered the incriminating blow after
Police arrest 68th offender from “Wanted by the CBSA” list
OTTAWA, May 2016 – As reported by Global News and other media outlets, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has announced the arrest of William Arquimides Orellana Melendez. Now 35 years old, Melendez is the 68th individual from the “Wanted by the CBSA” list to be found and arrested in the country. The El Salvadoran-born man was on the list for nearly five years before Saskatoon
Canadian immigration detainee released after nearly six years
Somali-born man spent 67 months in an Ontario jail awaiting removal from Canada Case raises questions about deportation and immigrant detention ONTARIO, JANUARY 2016 – A Somali national was finally released after 67 months in a high-security prison in Lindsay, Ontario, where he was detained after refusing to sign a consent form to be deported to his country of birth. His case has called into
Alberta CBSA report for February and March
Gun possession, pornography, and drug charges make American travellers criminally inadmissible to Canada APRIL 2016 – Every month in 2015, southern Alberta border agents processed an average of 95,421 travellers in 38,679 automobiles and 10,755 commercial trucks, according to official statistics from Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). But not all of these individuals make it across the border from the States, as several are found criminally inadmissible for
Reduced sentence for Filipino-born Canadian permanent resident
MARCH 2016 – At a Supreme Court hearing in British Columbia, a Filipino-born permanent resident charged with drug trafficking received a lower sentence in order to prevent his deportation. 29 year-old Mark Abude pleaded guilty to charges of dealing cocaine to an undercover police officer in North Vancouver on eight occasions over a period of several months in 2012. He immigrated to Canada from the
Deportation order withdrawn for man who sought asylum in church for 2 years
Jose Figueroa granted permanent residency after nearly two decades in Canada An El Salvador national who took refuge in a Langley, British Columbia church after being found criminally inadmissible to Canada in 2013 has been granted Canadian permanent residency just in time to rejoin his family for the holidays. On Monday, December 21st, Jose Figueroa was officially notified that Canada Border Services Agency had cancelled
Canadian airlines object to costs of returning inadmissible passengers
Canadian airlines are displeased with the expenses of returning new arrivals to their country of origin after they have been found inadmissible to Canada. Reports of airline dissatisfaction stem from a federal legislative review of Canada’s Transportation Act. The national review encompasses the entire national transportation system, including various aspects of the aviation sector such as its competitiveness, quality of service to Canadians, and capacity