CBSA, Free vs Paid (what does "five hours of search and preparation time" mean?)

[morbrb]

Just out of curiosity, what does the $5 do when you ask for CBSA?
"Include a $5.00 application fee, which entitles the requester to five hours of search and preparation time. "
Is it faster than the free version?

 

[alphazip]

Just out of curiosity, what does the $5 do when you ask for CBSA?
"Include a $5.00 application fee, which entitles the requester to five hours of search and preparation time. "
Is it faster than the free version?

The $5 fee is to apply under the Access to Information Act for information that does not relate to the applicant. For information that does relate to the applicant, such as a record of your border crossings, you would apply under the Privacy Act. There is no charge for the latter. One is not faster than the other...they're just for different things. A Privacy Act request is normally filled in 30 days, to which you need to add 5-10 days for delivery by Canada Post.