the CanadaVisa Team - 09 May, 2016
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama have announced a new pilot project that will change the way people cross the border from Canada into the United States. This project will extend the preclearance system already used in many airports to travel between the two countries by land.
The preclearance system in airports allows travellers to clear U.S. customs in Canada before boarding their flight, helping them avoid potentially longer lines upon arrival. The pilot project, which is scheduled to begin at first in Vancouver and Montreal, will enable train passengers to clear customs at train stations in Canada before departing to the U.S.
The rules for land travel preclearance will be based on the existing rules in airports. Under the 2001 airport deal, American customs agents are authorized to detain travellers in Canada, but only domestic police may make a formal arrest.
Additionally, the agents may be present for a strip search, but only for travellers of the same sex as the the traveller. There are also rules set out regarding the ability of agents to carry firearms.
According to Chrystia Freeland, the Canadian Minister of International Trade who also runs the cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations, the government of Canada is strongly in favour of the legislation, which the committee aims to introduce this spring.
"We are hard at work on it -- and we're confident we're going to get it done. There is strong support for it across the government -- this is something that our government is really in favour of,” said Freeland.
"This is not a newfangled thing. It works very well for Canadians, and that's why we're keen to extend it and formalize the structure a bit more."
The government of Canada will fund the infrastructure for the U.S. customs in Canada, demonstrating its belief that the ultimate economic benefit is worth the cost. As Finance Minister Bill Morneau said, “We want to have the best possible flow of people, goods and services. So making an investment in that regard would make sense.”
If the pilot project proves effective, there is potential for this preclearance system to become widespread, with preclearance appearing in bus stations, train stations, and even off the side of the highway.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama have announced a new pilot project that will change the way Canadians cross the border into the United States. This project will extend the preclearance system already used in many airports to travel between the two countries by land.
The preclearance system in airports allows travellers to clear U.S. customs in Canada before boarding their flight, helping them avoid potentially longer lines upon arrival. The pilot project, which is scheduled to begin at first in Vancouver and Montreal, will enable train passengers to clear customs at train stations in Canada before departing to the U.S.
The rules for land travel preclearance will be based on the existing rules in airports. Under the 2001 airport deal, American customs agents are authorized to detain travellers in Canada, but only domestic police may make a formal arrest. Additionally, the agents may be present for a strip search, but only for travellers of the same sex as the the traveller. There are also rules set out regarding the ability of agents to carry firearms.
According to Chrystia Freeland, the Canadian Minister of International Trade who also runs the cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations, the government of Canada is strongly in favour of the legislation, which the committee aims to introduce this spring.
"We are hard at work on it -- and we're confident we're going to get it done. There is strong support for it across the government -- this is something that our government is really in favour of,” said Freeland.
"This is not a newfangled thing. It works very well for Canadians, and that's why we're keen to extend it and formalize the structure a bit more."
The government of Canada will fund the infrastructure for the U.S. customs in Canada, demonstrating its belief that the ultimate economic benefit is worth the cost. As Finance Minister Bill Morneau said, “We want to have the best possible flow of people, goods and services. So making an investment in that regard would make sense.”
If the pilot project proves effective, there is potential for this preclearance system to become widespread, with preclearance appearing in bus stations, train stations, and even off the side of the highway.
To learn more about visiting Canada from the U.S., as well as working or studying in Canada temporarily or immigrating permanently, please see our dedicated page on moving to Canada from the U.S.
