I am a Canadian citizen but I stopped by immigration at the airport because I previously had a refugee status

[madawc]

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!

 

[armoured]

Does anyone know what might have caused this, and how I can prevent it from happening in the future?

It could be any number of things, including just random, and possible it won't repeat - yes, even Canadian citizens sometimes get inspected. The person at the sorting desk can do so for any reason at all.

Some recent citizens report this on their first time travelling as a citizen - change in the status from one thing to the other showed up strangely, or whatever.

And yes - some former refugees who are now citizens have had this happen more than once, and then contacted their MPs and/or IRCC to ask to get whatever flag it is removed. (The cases I've heard of they have been informed by CBSA that there was a flag, though).

I'd wait until you see if it happens more than once.

And while it's an inconvenience, don't get upset - anyone can get pulled into secondary.

 

[Alalac]

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 don't think they picked you because of your previous status. I had a similar issue and haven't being refugee in my life. That's really normal, don't worry about it and enjoy your life as Canadian

 

[armoured]

I don't think they picked you because of your previous status. I had a similar issue and haven't being refugee in my life. That's really normal, don't worry about it and enjoy your life as Canadian

I agree overall.

But I will just say that sometimes flags put in the system for various reasons (including legitimate ones) can persist long after they are relevant. Some of those flags could be system-generated. Including remaining in the system after one becomes a citizen.

Again - a single instance is not going to be taken seriously.

And, unfortunately, removing them is not automatic (at least in some cases), and not something a CBSA officer at the border can do with a couple keyboard clicks (apparently).

So one might have to attempt to get CBSA to do it manually. I had success with removing one for a family member by writing to our MP. I've read of others having success by writing directly to IRCC (don't recall to which part of IRCC).

I tried to emphasize that devoting limited CBSA resources to checks of no-longer relevant things (in our case, non-compliance with residency obligation from decades ago for a PR status that was voluntarily renounced, person had never attempted to enter Canada non-complient - note still a PR when this secondary inspection stuff happened though) was a waste of money and staff time that could be used for security.

What we did not emphasize was that it was somehow unfair or offensive - I know they will always say 'any PR or citizen can be called into secondary inspection.'

In a month or so it was sorted out - but (of course) they said that CBSA could still do secondary inspection at any time and for whatever reason. Since then, not been called into secondary once.

Side note: it can be hard to get confirmation from CBSA that there is a flag or what it is about. They may mention it obliquely in a friendly discussion about what the issue is/ this keeps happening. They don't enjoy inspections that don't serve much purpose either.

 

[roissingue]

For some reason, I got an "A" flag on my receipt from the e-gate on Terminal 3 in Pearson Airport during my last trip. It was my first time entering Canada as a Canadian citizen. I was redirected to a booth, which had never happened before when I was a PR. The officer asked me questions like what I do for work, where I live, and why I chose my travel destination over others. I used to be an international student and obtained my PR through an economic program. I've never experienced such extensive questioning before, even as a temporary resident. It felt more like an immigration control process, which seemed odd since, as citizens, we’re not subject to immigration laws and regulations. In the end, the officer crossed out the "A" on my receipt and stamped it.

Hopefully, it’s the last time this happens, and I don’t have any consistent flag on my file for some reason.

 

[armoured]

It felt more like an immigration control process, which seemed odd since, as citizens, we’re not subject to immigration laws and regulations.

Regardless of terminology, until they're satisfied you're a citizen (including that the bearer of the passport is the person there named), the questions might be quite similar.

And even after that - CBSA officers are also responsible for customs enforcement and other laws (they're law enforcement officers, after all). Therefore, they can ask the same types of questions (to determine whether they think anything more needs looked at and whether the type/goals of travel are consistent with the answers you've given - because not telling the truth is a signal).

By which I mean: no-one should think (nor take offense) that being asked 'immigration type questions' is somehow not allowed because the provisions of the immigration act don't apply to citizens. They have other responsibilities than just immigration, which can extend to random selection or for any reason they like, basically.*

Hopefully, it’s the last time this happens, and I don’t have any consistent flag on my file for some reason.

Agreed. No sense getting worried for it happening one time.

I personally would *guess* that having a first-time issued passport (which would apply to those born in Canada as well) would increase likelihood of secondary examination. For reasons related to security of the passport issuance process. Only a guess though.



*Yes, there are limitations on 'any reason they like' - it can't be abusive or whatever else that's forbidden by law & regs.

 

[roissingue]

Regardless of terminology, until they're satisfied you're a citizen (including that the bearer of the passport is the person there named), the questions might be quite similar.

And even after that - CBSA officers are also responsible for customs enforcement and other laws (they're law enforcement officers, after all). Therefore, they can ask the same types of questions (to determine whether they think anything more needs looked at and whether the type/goals of travel are consistent with the answers you've given - because not telling the truth is a signal).

By which I mean: no-one should think (nor take offense) that being asked 'immigration type questions' is somehow not allowed because the provisions of the immigration act don't apply to citizens. They have other responsibilities than just immigration, which can extend to random selection or for any reason they like, basically.*



Agreed. No sense getting worried for it happening one time.

I personally would *guess* that having a first-time issued passport (which would apply to those born in Canada as well) would increase likelihood of secondary examination. For reasons related to security of the passport issuance process. Only a guess though.



*Yes, there are limitations on 'any reason they like' - it can't be abusive or whatever else that's forbidden by law & regs.

Thank you for your input.

I assumed that going through the facial recognition process at the e-gates would serve as sufficient evidence of being the passport holder (and therefore a Canadian citizen). After all, this process not only compares your face to the photo on the passport but also to the alphanumeric facial template stored in IRCC’s database as part of the passport program.

Of course, I wasn’t suggesting that the questions I was asked fell under the IRPA and its associated regime. Rather, I felt that the questions had an 'immigration-like' tone, as they were similar to those asked by CBP to foreign nationals or by other countries in similar contexts.

In any case, I feel there’s a certain lack of transparency here, which might or might not be justifiable. I’ll wait to see if this happens again before investigating further.

 

[armoured]

I assumed that going through the facial recognition process at the e-gates would serve as sufficient evidence of being the passport holder (and therefore a Canadian citizen).

There are other weak spots, such as whether passport acquisition process sufficiently deals with risks of individuals using other people's data to get the passport. (Passports can, of course, be applied for by mail - no direct human interaction). I also think they likely don't fully trust the algorithms.

Anyway, only a guess that 'first-time passports' might get more random checks.

Rather, I felt that the questions had an 'immigration-like' tone, as they were similar to those asked by CBP to foreign nationals or by other countries in similar contexts.

Same officers, same scripts. A lot of the questions are more about checking whether the person seems to be nervous, evasive or lying than about the details of the answers. Standard law enforcement stuff. Get in front of them because you were sent there (for whatever reason), they run some of the same script.

In any case, I feel there’s a certain lack of transparency here, which might or might not be justifiable. I’ll wait to see if this happens again before investigating further.

In my view (and experience), law enforcement agencies are never fully transparent. They believe their 'methods', the info they're looking for, and how they investigate / look for issues must be kept at least partially obscured. Otherwise too easily gamed by those trying to evade the law.

I'm not trying to convince you this means their approach is 'correct' or that you should like it. I just find their approach more understandable if seen from perspective that they are - and see themselves as - law enforcement first and foremost.

 

[madawc]

Thank you, everyone, for your contributions.

I started this topic because of an experience I had when I first got my passport in October. My wife and I traveled to the U.S. side of the falls for a day trip and on our return, the customs officer asked if we were former refugees. We didn’t understand the purpose of the question since it didn’t seem relevant to the situation. While we felt slightly discriminated against by the question, we weren’t subjected to a secondary check, and the officer approved our entry.

On my second trip to the U.S., I traveled alone, and this issue came up.

Based on my research, I found that passports issued after 2023 have a known security flag. Many people have tried emailing, calling, or contacting their MPs about this issue, and in most cases, it has been resolved. However, I’ve also heard that some are still facing unnecessary secondary checks. From what I’ve gathered, many former refugees in Canada who later acquired citizenship haven’t experienced this issue, and it seems to have started only in 2023.

 

[armoured]

On my second trip to the U.S., I traveled alone, and this issue came up.

Based on my research, I found that passports issued after 2023 have a known security flag. Many people have tried emailing, calling, or contacting their MPs about this issue, and in most cases, it has been resolved. However, I’ve also heard that some are still facing unnecessary secondary checks. From what I’ve gathered, many former refugees in Canada who later acquired citizenship haven’t experienced this issue, and it seems to have started only in 2023.

I have heard of such cases, too. I have a theory why it's coming up - BUT it shouldn't have any relevance to those that have already received citizenship. I think it's a wrong flag in the system.

All I can say is keep trying MPs and other ways to get it resolved. Good luck.