My Experience at Landing on Montreal while in Breach of RO but a valid PR Card

[wajahatid]

Hi,

Just wanted to share my experience. I was in breach of RO obligations as i last visited in Canada in 2018 for a month. My PR card is due to expire in Jan next year. Before my flight, i requested my travel history information from CBSA and to my surprise, the only entry they had for me was that i had entered Canada in 2018 but never left. Nevertheless, my final destination was Mississauga, i landed in Montreal. Proceeded to the kiosk and placed by PR card, it printed a slip with a code 0 on left corner, showed it to the immigration officer and i was let go without any questions asked.

What i think happened is that if the CBSA record shows that you have never left the Canada, then the system will not flag you even if you are in breach of your RO but possess a valid PR card.

P.S landed in Mississauga on 17th of Feb 2023.

 

[Eusufzai]

Hi wajahatid,

Great to hear from your experience. I think you are lucky. But in my case, I only stayed in Canada for 7 days in 2019. My PR validity has only 1 year. I am afraid whether I will be as lucky as you are. However, do I need to place to PR the card in Kiosk or the immigration officer will ask me to show PR card. Is it necessary to check travel history from CBSA at the port of entry or I can check it before my departure using online tool. Any advice? From your experience, do you think immigration officer at Montreal airport is a lenient? My final destination will be in Winnipeg.

Your response is highly appreciated. Thank you.

Best regards,

Eusufzai

 

[Copingwithlife]

Hi,

Just wanted to share my experience. I was in breach of RO obligations as i last visited in Canada in 2018 for a month. My PR card is due to expire in Jan next year. Before my flight, i requested my travel history information from CBSA and to my surprise, the only entry they had for me was that i had entered Canada in 2018 but never left. Nevertheless, my final destination was Mississauga, i landed in Montreal. Proceeded to the kiosk and placed by PR card, it printed a slip with a code 0 on left corner, showed it to the immigration officer and i was let go without any questions asked.

What i think happened is that if the CBSA record shows that you have never left the Canada, then the system will not flag you even if you are in breach of your RO but possess a valid PR card.

P.S landed in Mississauga on 17th of Feb 2023.

Just shows that the system is useless

No surprises here

 

[wajahatid]

Hi wajahatid,

Great to hear from your experience. I think you are lucky. But in my case, I only stayed in Canada for 7 days in 2019. My PR validity has only 1 year. I am afraid whether I will be as lucky as you are. However, do I need to place to PR the card in Kiosk or the immigration officer will ask me to show PR card. Is it necessary to check travel history from CBSA at the port of entry or I can check it before my departure using online tool. Any advice? From your experience, do you think immigration officer at Montreal airport is a lenient? My final destination will be in Winnipeg.

Your response is highly appreciated. Thank you.

Best regards,

Eusufzai

As per what i know the only way you can get the information on your travel record is from CBSA and you will have to apply to them. The process takes 30 days. It depends on the record they have on you as i assume. Given its system based, system will not show leniency if their record shows you are in breach. if not, then you should get lucky as i did.

 

[Eusufzai]

Hi wajahatid,

Thank you for your prompt response. Well, then may be it is better to choose a port of entry where no online checking system is in place. What do you think about this idea. May be that will give me more chance to explain, if the officer asked me why I breached the residency obligations. Do you know any such type of port-of-entry in Canada.

Thank you again.

Eusufzai

 

[armoured]

Hi wajahatid,

Thank you for your prompt response. Well, then may be it is better to choose a port of entry where no online checking system is in place. What do you think about this idea. May be that will give me more chance to explain, if the officer asked me why I breached the residency obligations. Do you know any such type of port-of-entry in Canada.

Thank you again.

Eusufzai

As far as I'm aware, all official ports of entry have the systems in place. There may be one or two that don't but are effectively not accessible (eg from St Pierre and Miquelon, but only a guess).

 

[wajahatid]

Hi wajahatid,

Thank you for your prompt response. Well, then may be it is better to choose a port of entry where no online checking system is in place. What do you think about this idea. May be that will give me more chance to explain, if the officer asked me why I breached the residency obligations. Do you know any such type of port-of-entry in Canada.

Thank you again.

Eusufzai

i would recommend you to apply for CBSA notes first to see what travel history do they have on record for you. If there is no exit information then online checking system will be the safest. the risk with manual is that they usually ask questions and you then cannot lie because you do not know what they might be knowing and the reason for them asking those questions.

 

[abdo_85]

Hi,

Just wanted to share my experience. I was in breach of RO obligations as i last visited in Canada in 2018 for a month. My PR card is due to expire in Jan next year. Before my flight, i requested my travel history information from CBSA and to my surprise, the only entry they had for me was that i had entered Canada in 2018 but never left. Nevertheless, my final destination was Mississauga, i landed in Montreal. Proceeded to the kiosk and placed by PR card, it printed a slip with a code 0 on left corner, showed it to the immigration officer and i was let go without any questions asked.

What i think happened is that if the CBSA record shows that you have never left the Canada, then the system will not flag you even if you are in breach of your RO but possess a valid PR card.

P.S landed in Mississauga on 17th of Feb 2023.

Thanks for sharing your experience
I got these paragraph from CBSA travel history report website
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/pia-efvp/atip-aiprp/thr-rav-eng.html
The CBSA began collecting traveller exit information on foreign nationals (excluding American citizens) entering the United States from Canada on June 30, 2013. As of July 11, 2019, the CBSA collects exit information on all travellers (including Canadian and American citizens) in the land mode and in the commercial air mode as of June 25, 2020. Exit data may also be requested through the Travel History Report.

That's why there is no exit entries for you, as you exit in 2018 not after June 2020

But may I ask you, as I am in similar situation, I left in 2019, in case you were not lucky and CBSA ask you about your time spent outside, what would you reply !!
As in system no exit entry for you

 

[wajahatid]

Thanks for sharing your experience
I got these paragraph from CBSA travel history report website
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/pia-efvp/atip-aiprp/thr-rav-eng.html
The CBSA began collecting traveller exit information on foreign nationals (excluding American citizens) entering the United States from Canada on June 30, 2013. As of July 11, 2019, the CBSA collects exit information on all travellers (including Canadian and American citizens) in the land mode and in the commercial air mode as of June 25, 2020. Exit data may also be requested through the Travel History Report.

That's why there is no exit entries for you, as you exit in 2018 not after June 2020

But may I ask you, as I am in similar situation, I left in 2019, in case you were not lucky and CBSA ask you about your time spent outside, what would you reply !!
As in system no exit entry for you

For me it was a genuine reason as i was looking after my ailing father who passed away last year. He was sick with a kidney disease and from November 2020 his disease had started to agravate. I have got all the supporting documents and then i was stuck in inheritance legalities. all in all i had a strong reason for my breach of RO.

 

[canuck78]

Hi,

Just wanted to share my experience. I was in breach of RO obligations as i last visited in Canada in 2018 for a month. My PR card is due to expire in Jan next year. Before my flight, i requested my travel history information from CBSA and to my surprise, the only entry they had for me was that i had entered Canada in 2018 but never left. Nevertheless, my final destination was Mississauga, i landed in Montreal. Proceeded to the kiosk and placed by PR card, it printed a slip with a code 0 on left corner, showed it to the immigration officer and i was let go without any questions asked.

What i think happened is that if the CBSA record shows that you have never left the Canada, then the system will not flag you even if you are in breach of your RO but possess a valid PR card.

P.S landed in Mississauga on 17th of Feb 2023.

Mostly due to luck. It isn’t that Canada isn’t aware that you aren’t compliant with your RO so ordering your entry and exit records are pretty useless on this situation and wouldn’t encourage others to order the records before coming to Canada. Canada is much more lenient than other countries when it comes to enforcing ROs and it also often comes down to the agent who is assessing your case and whether you may have been warned before. There is a lot of luck when it comes to enforcement of ROs. If you have a valid PR card your chances of not getting reported are much higher than without a valid PR card.

 

[abdo_85]

For me it was a genuine reason as i was looking after my ailing father who passed away last year. He was sick with a kidney disease and from November 2020 his disease had started to agravate. I have got all the supporting documents and then i was stuck in inheritance legalities. all in all i had a strong reason for my breach of RO.

Sorry for your father loss.

 

[Eusufzai]

Mostly due to luck. It isn’t that Canada isn’t aware that you aren’t compliant with your RO so ordering your entry and exit records are pretty useless on this situation and wouldn’t encourage others to order the records before coming to Canada. Canada is much more lenient than other countries when it comes to enforcing ROs and it also often comes down to the agent who is assessing your case and whether you may have been warned before. There is a lot of luck when it comes to enforcement of ROs. If you have a valid PR card your chances of not getting reported are much higher than without a valid PR card.

Thanks canuck78. However, just to know if anyone does not fulfill RO but his/her PR card has validity and request for Travel History to check whether his/her exit has been recorded, will it be cause any harm regarding his/her entry to Canada again. Will CBSA web portal ask him/her from where they are applying? Will it be recorded in the event of travel history online application? Expert opinion count.

Thanks and regards,

Eusufzai

 

[armoured]

Thanks canuck78. However, just to know if anyone does not fulfill RO but his/her PR card has validity and request for Travel History to check whether his/her exit has been recorded, will it be cause any harm regarding his/her entry to Canada again. Will CBSA web portal ask him/her from where they are applying? Will it be recorded in the event of travel history online application? Expert opinion count.

Thanks and regards,

Eusufzai

I think it's too early to say that we know. What we do know so far:
-CBSA records entries at ports of entry and 'owns' that information. Requesting copies of those records from CBSA should get you all the entries.
-USA collects entries to USA and those are basically exits (if from a Canadian crossing point). USA owns that info and various parts of government can get that info. If you request from USA, it will show those entries. If you request from Cda, it's not clear to me that those USA entries (exits from Cda ) will be shown.
-Since partway through covid: Canada - I believe Ministry of Transport, or an agency within MoT - collects passenger manifests and that's exit info for those flying to depart. Government has those. It's not clear to me that a request to CBSA will show those exits.

Within government, just because an agency / ministry like IRCC or CBSA can get information from others, they don't necessarily 'own' that information and it's not automatic that it will be shared by an access to information request. This is even more obviously the case with information received from the USA. And if you ask an agency for copies of all exit records pertaining to you and that agency doesn't keep exit records, their honest answer may well be 'we have no such records.'

Until this is 100% confirmed that requesting exit records from CBSA will return all your exit records, I would seriously hesitate about drawing any conclusions.

 

[monavy]

Thanks canuck78. However, just to know if anyone does not fulfill RO but his/her PR card has validity and request for Travel History to check whether his/her exit has been recorded, will it be cause any harm regarding his/her entry to Canada again. Will CBSA web portal ask him/her from where they are applying? Will it be recorded in the event of travel history online application? Expert opinion count.

Thanks and regards,

Eusufzai

You don't have to second guess anything. If you want to live in Canada, i Suggest you pack your bags and get on a plane. I had the similar experience as the OP. If you use the kiosks, there are chances no one will ask you anything.

 

[Besram]

If anyone is considering getting their entry/exit records with the intention to lie about their time spent in Canada - this is a very bad idea.

The onus is on the applicant to prove that they have met the residency obligation, not on the government. So even if there is no exit on record for you, that does not mean that you cannot be questioned about RO - even if you use one of the kiosks.

And if you are questioned in secondary inspection, chances are you will be asked for additional proof of time spent in Canada - paystubs, credit card statements, rental contracts, etc.

If they catch you lying, you can be sure that any leniency that you may have been extended otherwise will be out the window. Misrepresentation is generally taken very seriously, and will not be viewed favourably.