Clergy permit holder refused entry at Canadian Border? Want him to pay $1000 ?

[VermiciousKnish]

A family friend was refused entry at the Canadian land border crossing. He told me he has a work permit as a clergy person along with the letter of employment. When trying to enter into Canada on a recent visit from the USA, he was denied entry and told he has to a) show proof that he is a qualified clergy person (he will travel to Wisconsin to where he was ordained to get his papers) and b) he was told he has to pay $1000 to Immigration Canada. He was told that this new fee just came into effect this year.

I have no idea why he would have to pay $1000. Is this for a LMIA? If he already has a work permit, why would he have to pay for a LMIA, and wouldn't his employer have to arrange that in any case? Is there a new fee that CIC instituted for clergy permits? I have never heard of anything like this and would not even know where to direct him to pay the money if it was legitimate. Border agent told him they are not sure where he has to pay either but that he has to show a receipt of payment?

Confused. Any ideas?

 

[zardoz]

A family friend was refused entry at the Canadian land border crossing. He told me he has a work permit as a clergy person along with the letter of employment. When trying to enter into Canada on a recent visit from the USA, he was denied entry and told he has to a) show proof that he is a qualified clergy person (he will travel to Wisconsin to where he was ordained to get his papers) and b) he was told he has to pay $1000 to Immigration Canada. He was told that this new fee just came into effect this year.

I have no idea why he would have to pay $1000. Is this for a LMIA? If he already has a work permit, why would he have to pay for a LMIA, and wouldn't his employer have to arrange that in any case? Is there a new fee that CIC instituted for clergy permits? I have never heard of anything like this and would not even know where to direct him to pay the money if it was legitimate. Border agent told him they are not sure where he has to pay either but that he has to show a receipt of payment?

Confused. Any ideas?

If he has a work permit, he presumably did not qualify under R186(l), which removes the need for a work permit.
Therefore, I guess that they are expecting to see the fee receipt for the LMIA which covers his existing work permit, however it should be exempt anyway.
However, why in that case are they expecting him to prove that he is "qualifed" as a clergy person.

This doesn't sound as if the whole story is being told... Does he actually have a "work permit" or is he claiming an R186(l) exemption?

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/work/permit/clergy.asp

My guess is that CBSA is clueless in this particular case.

 

[VermiciousKnish]

For an R186(l) exemption, do they issue the work permit at the border with proper documentation? Perhaps he was trying to get a work permit at the border? I will inquire further but what does one typically need to show to obtain an R186(l) exemption besides
(i) the genuineness of the offer of employment of the religious denomination that seeks to employ them; and
(ii) their ability to minister to a congregation under the auspices of that religious denomination.