Can anyone tell me how does Canada airport immigration keep track of entry/exit dates of PR card holders? There is no stamp made on the passport as such and the only thing that happens is a PR card scan on a machine. When these entry/exit dates are submitted later for PR renewal, how would they verify?
Entry/ Exit Record or Immigration Recorx
- Thread starter ranjan05
- Start date
francaispourquebec said:
Canada does not track exits unless you go to USA. Exits to USA are usually tracked. Entries are recorded by scanning the PR card.
When PR card is renewed, they will check your CBSA report for your entries and also exits to USA. They will also check your residential ties like your job, residence etc etc in order to determine you fullfill the requirements. Also, if required they may request photocopies of your passport pages in order to check the stamps and validate the entries/exits.
Also, in the application you need to mention the days spent outside Canada.
Even though some version of this is a common query in forums like this, I will be frank: it is an irrelevant question. It misses the mark by a wide, wide margin.francaispourquebec said:
Actually, IRCC relies on the PR to report and, if questioned, verify travel dates. Not the other way around.
In particular, if IRCC has any concerns about the PR's accounting, the PR will be required to affirmatively establish time in Canada, and if the PR fails to verify (to prove) actual presence in Canada, that can lead to the loss of PR status.
IRCC makes a concerted effort, employing various methods-and-means (most of which are confidential, that is not publicly disclosed), to examine various sources of information which will help to confirm or controvert what the PR reports. IRCC does not need to verify actual travel dates.
The process of assessing a PR's presence in Canada begins, as thecoolguysam points out, with the application itself (be that an application for a new card, a PR TD, or an application to enter Canada upon arrival at a PoE - remember, even Canadian citizens must make an application to enter Canada when endeavoring to return to Canada) and immigration related records for the PR, from GCMS and FOSS entries to the PR's CBSA travel history:
But that merely skims the surface.thecoolguysam said:
Whether the PR is subject to an examination regarding compliance with the PR Residency Obligation at a PoE upon seeking to re-enter Canada, or a Residency Determination attendant an application for a PR Travel Document, or an application to renew the PR card, for MOST PRs IRCC does not discern any reason to question or doubt what the PR has reported, and there is no further inquiry or investigation into travel history. IRCC is satisfied as to the accuracy and completeness of travel history as reported by the PR.
If, however, someone at IRCC discerns cause for concern or reason to question the PR's account of time in Canada, there will be further examination, inquiries, or even investigations (on occasion such further inquiry can be random). The extent to which IRCC then requires actual evidentiary proof of travel dates and, as importantly, proof of days actually present in Canada, varies greatly, in large part depending on the extent to which someone at IRCC has identified a reason for concern, some cause to question or doubt the veracity and completeness of what the PR has reported.
What sources and resources are utilized to screen the PR's reported travel history? Or, what does IRCC verify?
One of the more common misconception is that IRCC verifies a PR's exit and entry dates. As already noted, that is not what IRCC does. IRCC makes an effort to verify (that is confirm) what the PR reports. What this really means is that IRCC is in large part looking for evidence or indications contrary to what the PR has reported, and in particular that means IRCC employs various methods and means, including accessing and evaluating various sources of information, in an effort to discern whether there is any indication, any possibility, the PR has either inaccurately reported a travel date or has omitted some travel history.
Also as noted, the methods-and-means IRCC employs to determine whether it is possible the PR has made an inaccurate report of travel dates, or has omitted any information relevant to travel dates, are confidential, not publicly disclosed information.
We know the obvious. We know, for example, that IRCC can now directly access CBSA travel history information. We know that IRCC will evaluate the reported travel history in comparison to the PR's work and address history, which may include collateral inquiries such as researching named employers (from GCMS queries to determine the extent to which a named employer has been involved in other immigration related transactions, to making inquiries with the employer to confirm reported employment). We know that IRCC accesses Internet sources including social media (Facebook or such) and sites like LinkedIn, as well as Canada411. There is undoubtedly much more, in the way of methods-and-means, we do not know about. I strongly suspect, for example, that IRCC has developed a number of scripts and logarithms to facilitate electronic screening of information, to identify incongruities or inconsistencies which will flag a PR to be more thoroughly screened. But of course, even assuming such tools are being employed, we have little or no idea how those will actually work, to what extent they electronically analyze certain travel patterns or immigrant backgrounds to correlate circumstances with historical patterns.
It is also obvious that IRCC and CBSA employ various methods-and-means to search for indications a PR was in Canada during a period of time the PR reported being outside Canada, and vice-versa, any indication the PR was outside Canada during a period of time reported in Canada. Thus, for example, an indication the PR was in Canada during a period of time reportedly outside Canada, including being involved in a financial transaction in Canada, can trigger suspicion the PR has inaccurately or incompletely reported travel history, and even though this suggests the possibility of more time in Canada than reported, the impact is that the PR's accounting is more or less discredited . . . which means the PR fails to prove dates of presence unless the PR can otherwise fully document and prove actual presence.
Again, it is about verifying the accuracy of what the PR reports, not about verifying dates of travel per se, and any discerned inaccuracy in the PR's reporting tends to be problematic.
While we know that historically IRCC and CBSA have failed to interdict a substantial percentage of fraud, it is also apparent that in recent years IRCC and CBSA have exponentially enhanced their methods-and-means for interdicting fraud.
Anyone trying to play the odds now, trying to omit travel dates, or even trying to slide by without making a genuine effort to completely and accurately report travel dates (such as a PR who did not keep good records and is, to some extent, guessing), is playing a fool's game. Really. For all the indications about how many slipped through in the past, the odds are increasingly against those playing-games (reporting a friend's address as one's residential address for example) with what they report, let alone those engaged in outright fraud.
Bottom-line: the PR needs to completely and accurately report ALL travel dates to the best of the PR's ability. Period.
Anything less is risky. Foolish actually.
Again, the reality is that IRCC and CBSA have many tools, that is numerous methods-and-means, that are employed to verify the information clients submit, including information about dates of exit from and entry into Canada. As much as certain consultants, in the past, knew of ways to game-the-system, that approach is now rife with pitfalls and probable failure. PRs would be wise to simply not go there.
Thus, Overall:
What is relevant is that IRCC and CBSA employ various means to verify the information submitted by the PR.
The main thing that PRs need to know is that the only prudent approach is to keep track, to personally keep track of all dates of travel, and to do so completely and accurately. And then, when required, to completely and accurately report this information. Any other approach has serious risks.
For the PR who has failed to keep adequate records which will enable the PR to completely and accurately report this information, the best approach is to make a concerted, diligent effort to reconstruct this information, to really work at getting this information as complete and accurate as possible, and then to be forthcoming with IRCC about the extent to which the PR is approximating or potentially overlooking any of this information.
Sure, some of those who do not approach things this way, regarding any sort of assessment of residency or physical presence, in effect get-away-with-it. Many more may encounter some problems (such as delays in processing a PR card application, including those referred to Secondary Review and potentially facing long delays) but not lose their PR status. Depending on the extent of the misinformation, though, consequences for others can range from the loss of PR status for misrepresentation to an unpleasant sojourn in public housing, secure public housing, prior to losing status to live in Canada.
When requesting entry/ exit to the US from FOIA, the report will be given for how many years back? My I-94 is incomplete, will FOIA captures all entries/ exit?
Is it a standard X years as in the EU?
Will it be for the time window that I define like last 5 years from date to date?
or will it capture all historical entries/ exits?
How many years does the US border keep the travel movements records for? In Canada, I think they are kept for more than 5 years, in most EU countries, the maximum to get is 5 years back and the data are destroyed afterwards. How is it in the USA?
Would anyone who obtained USA FOIA travel movement help please?
Is it a standard X years as in the EU?
Will it be for the time window that I define like last 5 years from date to date?
or will it capture all historical entries/ exits?
How many years does the US border keep the travel movements records for? In Canada, I think they are kept for more than 5 years, in most EU countries, the maximum to get is 5 years back and the data are destroyed afterwards. How is it in the USA?
Would anyone who obtained USA FOIA travel movement help please?
FOIA report is for the period you requested I think, not sure though as I requested for 4 years only. I-94 keeps only last 100 entry exit. If you made more than that then I-94 won’t show that.
Thanks Mats. You requested 4 years only which is what you got even though your travel history to USA goes beyond 4 years in the past. Am I right?
I will request all my travel history that is on their record (5 years +) to make sure I do not miss any journey this time.
No, I traveled to US after becoming PR so it is less than 5 years. Around 4 years in actual.
Thanks Mats and if you may please help with one more question:
I-94 did not show the detination as "arrival from and departure to", will the FOIA report give any of those details?
@Fellow members who once obtained FOIA: Simple question:
Would anyone who once obtained his FOIA help me answering this question please?
I-94 did not show the destination as "arrival from and departure to", will the FOIA report give these details? is it worthwhile to wait for the report or just use I-94?
I applied for it but I am told it may take months. Please help this is really a simple YES / No question