Hello everyone,
I became a Canadian citizen in October 2024 and applied for my passport. I received my passport within a month and traveled to the USA. Upon my return, I used the ArriveCAN app for pre-declaration. I was a transfer passenger traveling from Montreal to Toronto.
In Montreal, after arriving in Canada, I used the declaration booths to get my declaration paper. I presented the paper and my passport to the border officer, who marked a "T" on the paper and informed me that I needed to visit the immigration office before entering Canada.
At the immigration office, I submitted my documents. The officer didn’t ask me anything or provide any explanation. He simply stamped my declaration paper with the entry date and handed it back. When I asked, "Why am I here? I am a Canadian citizen," he responded, "It’s nothing; you can continue." I asked again, but he didn’t provide a reason and simply said it was fine before calling the next person.
When I arrived in Toronto, I visited the CBSA immigration office at the airport to clarify what had happened. The officer there checked my passport and confirmed there was no flag or security measure on it. He couldn’t understand why I had been directed to the immigration office in Montreal. He only informed me that i was a refugee before but now im a citizen and there is no reason to stop me at the border.
For context, I was a former refugee, but none of my former refugee friends who have obtained citizenship have experienced this situation when arriving in Canada.
Does anyone know what might have caused this, and how I can prevent it from happening in the future?
Thanks!
I became a Canadian citizen in October 2024 and applied for my passport. I received my passport within a month and traveled to the USA. Upon my return, I used the ArriveCAN app for pre-declaration. I was a transfer passenger traveling from Montreal to Toronto.
In Montreal, after arriving in Canada, I used the declaration booths to get my declaration paper. I presented the paper and my passport to the border officer, who marked a "T" on the paper and informed me that I needed to visit the immigration office before entering Canada.
At the immigration office, I submitted my documents. The officer didn’t ask me anything or provide any explanation. He simply stamped my declaration paper with the entry date and handed it back. When I asked, "Why am I here? I am a Canadian citizen," he responded, "It’s nothing; you can continue." I asked again, but he didn’t provide a reason and simply said it was fine before calling the next person.
When I arrived in Toronto, I visited the CBSA immigration office at the airport to clarify what had happened. The officer there checked my passport and confirmed there was no flag or security measure on it. He couldn’t understand why I had been directed to the immigration office in Montreal. He only informed me that i was a refugee before but now im a citizen and there is no reason to stop me at the border.
For context, I was a former refugee, but none of my former refugee friends who have obtained citizenship have experienced this situation when arriving in Canada.
Does anyone know what might have caused this, and how I can prevent it from happening in the future?
Thanks!
