PR returning after staying outside Canada for 7 months.

[Rayu Mandvi]

Hi,
The PR card was renewed in late 2021 and in December 2022 i went to visit my mother where i stayed for 7 months as i was also working on one business proposal back home. When i arrived at YYZ i used kiosk to get the PR Card scanned and the CBSA declaration. When i showed the slip to the officer she referred me to immigration counter, and they marked my slip with PINK marker and i was asked to join the long line where everyone had either pink marker slip or red one. After some wait, we entered another room which was jammed packed and there were around 5 immigration booths. On my turn the immigration officer asked me where i live and how long i was outside Canada i replied that i live here and i was outside for 7 months he stamped the slip and marked it with orange marker and said you are good to go.
I had to stand in long lines for almost 45 minutes and that too after long flight , why ?
and what does the pink and orange marker mean ?

Any idea ?

 

[Ponga]

Hi,
The PR card was renewed in late 2021 and in December 2022 i went to visit my mother where i stayed for 7 months as i was also working on one business proposal back home. When i arrived at YYZ i used kiosk to get the PR Card scanned and the CBSA declaration. When i showed the slip to the officer she referred me to immigration counter, and they marked my slip with PINK marker and i was asked to join the long line where everyone had either pink marker slip or red one. After some wait, we entered another room which was jammed packed and there were around 5 immigration booths. On my turn the immigration officer asked me where i live and how long i was outside Canada i replied that i live here and i was outside for 7 months he stamped the slip and marked it with orange marker and said you are good to go.
I had to stand in long lines for almost 45 minutes and that too after long flight , why ?
and what does the pink and orange marker mean ?

Any idea ?

Sounds a bit odd to me.

 

[abdo_85]

Hi,
The PR card was renewed in late 2021 and in December 2022 i went to visit my mother where i stayed for 7 months as i was also working on one business proposal back home. When i arrived at YYZ i used kiosk to get the PR Card scanned and the CBSA declaration. When i showed the slip to the officer she referred me to immigration counter, and they marked my slip with PINK marker and i was asked to join the long line where everyone had either pink marker slip or red one. After some wait, we entered another room which was jammed packed and there were around 5 immigration booths. On my turn the immigration officer asked me where i live and how long i was outside Canada i replied that i live here and i was outside for 7 months he stamped the slip and marked it with orange marker and said you are good to go.
I had to stand in long lines for almost 45 minutes and that too after long flight , why ?
and what does the pink and orange marker mean ?

Any idea ?

I guess the slip is coded with a number on top of it, this code flag something, do u remember if there is any code ?

 

[Rayu Mandvi]

I guess the slip is coded with a number on top of it, this code flag something, do u remember if there is any code ?

A letter' X ' was printed in large font

 

[dpenabill]

The PR card was renewed in late 2021 and in December 2022 i went to visit my mother where i stayed for 7 months as i was also working on one business proposal back home. When i arrived at YYZ i used kiosk to get the PR Card scanned and the CBSA declaration. When i showed the slip to the officer she referred me to immigration counter, and they marked my slip with PINK marker and i was asked to join the long line where everyone had either pink marker slip or red one. After some wait, we entered another room which was jammed packed and there were around 5 immigration booths. On my turn the immigration officer asked me where i live and how long i was outside Canada i replied that i live here and i was outside for 7 months he stamped the slip and marked it with orange marker and said you are good to go.
I had to stand in long lines for almost 45 minutes and that too after long flight , why ?
and what does the pink and orange marker mean ?

I cannot say why you were referred to immigration Secondary on this occasion, but there is nothing strange or odd about a returning PR being subject to a Secondary screening upon arrival here.

There are many possible reasons for the referral, including random quality control screening. Even the random screenings can vary widely, ranging from just an eyes-on real person screening in addition to kiosk screening, to being randomly selected for structured screenings oriented to particular issues or concerns . . . issue-of-the-day sort of thing . . . pursuant to which a certain percentage of travelers are randomly selected to be more closely examined in regards to whatever the issue-of-the-day is.

Canadian citizens can also encounter such referrals. Such as random, closer, second check screening verifying traveler identity, which might only involve an officer personally, visually examining the traveler and quickly assessing what is seen about the traveler on the officer's monitor/screen.

Like many things in real life, including in Canada, most of how long it takes depends on time in queue waiting for one's turn.

There are many other possibilities more specific to the individual traveler. For a PR this can include a closer look at whether there might be Residency Obligation compliance questions that need to be asked. Again, I cannot come close to saying why you this time, but if a PR appears to be returning to Canada after a lengthy absence and they were somewhat recently issued a new PR card, they might be more carefully screened to verify identity and at the same time CBSA might be evaluating whether to probe RO compliance further. As often noted in this forum, RO compliance can be questioned during a Port-of-Entry examination even though the PR has a relatively brand new PR card . . . and, indeed, there might even be a flag to check a returning PR more closely following the issuance of a new PR card. (As also seen in this forum, there are more than a few who seem to think a new PR card means the RO will not be enforced against them for two or more years; even a PR with a brand new PR card needs to be in compliance with the RO, and this can be checked anytime the PR returns to Canada from abroad.)

For a PR who continues to stay in RO compliance and who is not otherwise inadmissible, the extra 'Secondary' screening is inconvenient but otherwise not something to worry about. It might not be so frequent as to be what most would consider common, but it is common enough anyone traveling internationally should anticipate it might and thus be sure to have sufficient time to accommodate such delays when scheduling things like connecting flights.

 

[Rayu Mandvi]

I cannot say why you were referred to immigration Secondary on this occasion, but there is nothing strange or odd about a returning PR being subject to a Secondary screening upon arrival here.

There are many possible reasons for the referral, including random quality control screening. Even the random screenings can vary widely, ranging from just an eyes-on real person screening in addition to kiosk screening, to being randomly selected for structured screenings oriented to particular issues or concerns . . . issue-of-the-day sort of thing . . . pursuant to which a certain percentage of travelers are randomly selected to be more closely examined in regards to whatever the issue-of-the-day is.

Canadian citizens can also encounter such referrals. Such as random, closer, second check screening verifying traveler identity, which might only involve an officer personally, visually examining the traveler and quickly assessing what is seen about the traveler on the officer's monitor/screen.

Like many things in real life, including in Canada, most of how long it takes depends on time in queue waiting for one's turn.

There are many other possibilities more specific to the individual traveler. For a PR this can include a closer look at whether there might be Residency Obligation compliance questions that need to be asked. Again, I cannot come close to saying why you this time, but if a PR appears to be returning to Canada after a lengthy absence and they were somewhat recently issued a new PR card, they might be more carefully screened to verify identity and at the same time CBSA might be evaluating whether to probe RO compliance further. As often noted in this forum, RO compliance can be questioned during a Port-of-Entry examination even though the PR has a relatively brand new PR card . . . and, indeed, there might even be a flag to check a returning PR more closely following the issuance of a new PR card. (As also seen in this forum, there are more than a few who seem to think a new PR card means the RO will not be enforced against them for two or more years; even a PR with a brand new PR card needs to be in compliance with the RO, and this can be checked anytime the PR returns to Canada from abroad.)

For a PR who continues to stay in RO compliance and who is not otherwise inadmissible, the extra 'Secondary' screening is inconvenient but otherwise not something to worry about. It might not be so frequent as to be what most would consider common, but it is common enough anyone traveling internationally should anticipate it might and thus be sure to have sufficient time to accommodate such delays when scheduling things like connecting flights.

Thank you for replying.
I have no issues if one is required to go through immigration, even in my country of birth i have to stand in line to get my passport stamped. Problem is why choose some and let other go ? it gives a sense that may be something is wrong. And at least they should make sure that there are adequate officers to handle. The room where we were asked to enter was jam packed like a market.

It would be good if they start stamping the passport every time one enters and leave Canada. Now there are no stamps on my passport to prove when i came back to canada.

Thanks again .

 

[dpenabill]

Thank you for replying.
I have no issues if one is required to go through immigration, even in my country of birth i have to stand in line to get my passport stamped. Problem is why choose some and let other go ? it gives a sense that may be something is wrong. And at least they should make sure that there are adequate officers to handle. The room where we were asked to enter was jam packed like a market.

It would be good if they start stamping the passport every time one enters and leave Canada. Now there are no stamps on my passport to prove when i came back to canada.

Thanks again .

I do not have much at all to say about how CBSA or IRCC should handle things . . . well, other than what should be done according to the existing rules, policies, and practices. Which is about what the rules and practices are, and how they work. Figuring out the latter is more than enough (way more than I can keep up with, which is why there are only a few subjects I address much, keeping up with those alone is more than enough).

In terms of keeping record of when you exit and when you enter Canada, it is indeed important to recognize that is all on you. While the government is increasingly capturing records of entries and even exits, that is for their use and for cross-checking information provided by immigration clients (like PRs). Beyond that, the typical records an individual ordinarily keeps should be plenty to document not only the dates of entry but presence in Canada between a date of entry and next date of exit. But yes, this is on the individual PR. Keep good records.