Canada Sees Sharp Increase In Foreign Travelers Turned Away At Border
A new report from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has revealed a significant increase in the number of foreign travelers being turned away at Canadian ports of entry.
In the first seven months of 2024, an average of nearly 4,000 foreign travelers per month, which includes both non-refugee visa holders and those deemed “allowed to leave”, have been denied entry, a 20 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2023.
In the first seven months of 2019, CBSA turned away an average of 3,758 foreign travellers per month.
July marked the highest number of rejected entrants in a month in the last five years, with 285 non-refugee visa holders turned away at ports of entry and 5,853 were categorized as “allowed to leave”, according to a statement emailed to CTV News.
An “allowed to leave” is when travellers are given the opportunity to “withdraw their application and leave voluntarily,” according to CBSA.
“The CBSA’s role, policy, and practice has always been to assess the admissibility of persons coming to Canada. This has not changed.
“The admissibility of travellers is decided on a case-by-case basis and based on the information made available at the time of entry,” CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer wrote in the emailed statement to CTV News.
The CBSA has cited various reasons for the increase, including changes in travel requirements and socio-economic factors.
The change comes amid ongoing debate on Parliament Hill over immigration numbers and how to curb them, specifically with the high number of newcomers putting added pressure on the housing market.
However, critics argue that the Canadian government’s immigration policies are to blame, putting pressure on the housing market and other resources.
The government has faced criticism for allowing immigration numbers to balloon, with some calling for stricter controls.
In response, the government has announced measures to address the issue, including ending the pandemic-era practice of allowing visitors to apply for work visas from within the country and stricter rules to reduce the low-wage stream of temporary foreign workers.
According to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada emailed to CTV News, the department approved more than 1.1 million temporary visas in the first seven months of this year, compared to nearly 1.3 million for the same time period last year.
“Admissibility of travellers is decided on a case-by-case basis and based on the information made available at the time of entry.
“Having obtained a temporary resident visa (visitor visa) or electronic travel authorization or having been previously authorized to enter Canada does not guarantee entry to Canada,” Reimer wrote.
Canada Sees Sharp Increase In Foreign Travelers Turned Away At Border is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
