+1(514) 937-9445 or Toll-free (Canada & US) +1 (888) 947-9445

Missed flight and travel history

roissingue

Member
Aug 15, 2020
12
7
Hi there. I'm planning to apply for citizenship soon, and I have a question about the travel history section.

Back on December 18th, 2021, I missed a flight to Paris (from Toronto) due to a delayed connecting flight. I was rebooked for the next day.
As I was already in the international zone, I had to go through immigration to leave the airport.
I flew to Paris the next day.

I recently requested my travel history report through the Privacy Act and found out that they had indeed recorded the entry, even though I technically didn't leave Canada.

My question is: How should I record this incident in my travel history for my online citizenship application?

Thank you :)
 

CABA

Hero Member
Jan 14, 2016
447
217
Hi there. I'm planning to apply for citizenship soon, and I have a question about the travel history section.

Back on December 18th, 2021, I missed a flight to Paris (from Toronto) due to a delayed connecting flight. I was rebooked for the next day.
As I was already in the international zone, I had to go through immigration to leave the airport.
I flew to Paris the next day.

I recently requested my travel history report through the Privacy Act and found out that they had indeed recorded the entry, even though I technically didn't leave Canada.

My question is: How should I record this incident in my travel history for my online citizenship application?

Thank you :)
on a safer side exclude that day in case they tie it back with CBSA records. It's only a matter of 1 day in case you are planning to submit your application at the exact 1095 days
 

roissingue

Member
Aug 15, 2020
12
7
on a safer side exclude that day in case they tie it back with CBSA records. It's only a matter of 1 day in case you are planning to submit your application at the exact 1095 days
Thank you for your answer.
I already plan to leave a few weeks of buffer time before applying to be on the safe side.

It's more about the section where you disclose all your travels outside Canada. Do you think that I should put a separate row, from 2021-12-18 to 2021-12-18 (same day) to reflect this "entry"?
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,437
3,183
Hi there. I'm planning to apply for citizenship soon, and I have a question about the travel history section.

Back on December 18th, 2021, I missed a flight to Paris (from Toronto) due to a delayed connecting flight. I was rebooked for the next day.
As I was already in the international zone, I had to go through immigration to leave the airport.
I flew to Paris the next day.

I recently requested my travel history report through the Privacy Act and found out that they had indeed recorded the entry, even though I technically didn't leave Canada.

My question is: How should I record this incident in my travel history for my online citizenship application?

Thank you :)

It appears that technically you had left Canada. Just like arrivals in Canada, a traveler is not actually "IN Canada" until border control has granted the application to enter Canada (this is true for citizens as well). Which side of the immigration portal a traveler is on matters. It's just one day.

It's more about the section where you disclose all your travels outside Canada. Do you think that I should put a separate row, from 2021-12-18 to 2021-12-18 (same day) to reflect this "entry"?
Edit: I misunderstood the situation. So you came back into Canada. OK. Yeah, apparently you left and returned same day. Report just like any other day trip.
 
Last edited:

roissingue

Member
Aug 15, 2020
12
7
It appears that technically you had left Canada. Just like arrivals in Canada, a traveler is not actually "IN Canada" until border control has granted the application to enter Canada (this is true for citizens as well). Which side of the immigration portal a traveler is on matters. It's just one day.



Edit: I misunderstood the situation. So you came back into Canada. OK. Yeah, apparently you left and returned same day. Report just like any other day trip.
Thanks for the input.
That's what I thought... I was hesitating because, in CBSA travel history, there's no Exit (as I didn't board).
Also, should I put "France" in Country (as I was supposed to travel to France)?
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,437
3,183
Thanks for the input.
That's what I thought... I was hesitating because, in CBSA travel history, there's no Exit (as I didn't board).
Also, should I put "France" in Country (as I was supposed to travel to France)?
hmmm

Yeah, it does not fit real life except it is a real life twist in circumstances. You left but didn't leave, and it appears you returned meaning you had to leave.

It should be very unlikely this sort of thing will cause any issues at all . . . regardless how it is reported it in the presence calculation travel history.

That said, for those of us with a bit of paranoia haunting our bureaucratic nightmares, easy to apprehend a risk that the CBSA travel history showing entry that date suggests an exit from Canada sometime before that, and not that same day. Do not want anyone making that erroneous inference.

In the box for purpose or reason, perhaps a very brief explanation will settle it. Maybe "passed through immigration, missed flight, returned next day" . . . but in YOUR words, very short . . . just something to alert whoever reviews the travel history that it was a same day event. Could add, if room in the box, "did not actually leave Canada" or something to such effect. Just to be sure.

If CBSA travel history of exits from Canada was certain to be more complete, which is the direction things are going but are not quite there yet, this would be no problem at all . . . the absence of the exit in CBSA travel history would confirm no exit.

With any explanation at all, this really should not be any problem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: roissingue

legalfalcon

VIP Member
Sep 21, 2015
19,048
9,916
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
4112
App. Filed.......
03-09-2015
Doc's Request.
01-10-2015
AOR Received.
03-09-2015
Med's Done....
17-08-2015
Passport Req..
05-04-2016
VISA ISSUED...
12-04-2016
LANDED..........
05-05-2016
Hi there. I'm planning to apply for citizenship soon, and I have a question about the travel history section.

Back on December 18th, 2021, I missed a flight to Paris (from Toronto) due to a delayed connecting flight. I was rebooked for the next day.
As I was already in the international zone, I had to go through immigration to leave the airport.
I flew to Paris the next day.

I recently requested my travel history report through the Privacy Act and found out that they had indeed recorded the entry, even though I technically didn't leave Canada.

My question is: How should I record this incident in my travel history for my online citizenship application?

Thank you :)
IRCC does not care about your travel; what matters is whether you meet the residency requirement.

Where you travel becomes important to conduct criminal and security screenings. If there is a discrepancy in your travel details, just add a letter of explanation giving details of the incident and your actual travel details. No big issue.

You did end up travelling to the intended location, just a day later, that's all.