dannyhcang said:
My Travel permit as Immigrant was voided when I landed as PR but my TRV as worker was not voided... unless the airline have access to CIC/CBSA website there is no way they can tell if my TRV is voided in the system or I am now a PR.
Regarding pre-boarding clearance for flights to Canada:
As of midnight November 10, 2016, the Interactive Advance Passenger Information system, maintained and operated by CBSA, went online and the airlines is required to submit the API for
ALL passengers (with perhaps some exceptions) into the IAPI system.
It verifies the validity of the Travel Document the traveler is authorized to use for travel to Canada.
The airlines
must use the system. The system gives either a
board or
no board response.
Thus, there is
NO if in whether the airline has access to the CBSA system. It must. It does (it has taken several years beyond its original schedule to get this system up and running, so that airlines at airports around the world have the necessary access). And it must access the system, submit the passenger's identifying information, including the number of the passenger's Travel Document, and only if
that Travel Document is identified in the system as valid for the passenger named, will it give a
board response.
dannyhcang said:
As for my partner, understand the tricky part on ETA. But he already had a valid ETA prior to landing as PR. Like the above unless the airline have access to their CBSA or cic system if not they cannot tell if the ETA has been voided or not...
Can someone confirm if the airline or through their experience what the airline does is just looking at the physical copy and they do not have access to CBSA or cic system?
I largely concur in the response by
Rob_TO and in particular, I too have "no idea if or when existing eTAs are cancelled after becoming a PR." If someone who already had eTA and then became a PR is flying back to Canada, it would be helpful if they attempted to use just the same passport as used in obtaining eTA and see how that goes, and report here about that experience.
My guess, however, is that the system is fully functioning, and that when a new PR is properly entered into the system, as landing and becoming a PR, that client's status is updated in the databases accessed by CBSA and will likely be reflected in how the IAPI system responds.
While the IAPI system obviously verifies the concurrence of all the submitted passenger information and the Travel Document, for eTA, FN's visas (work permits, TRVs, student visas, and such), and Canadian citizens, the key screening is as to the validity of the traveler's passport and that that passport, that specific passport, has authorization to enter Canada. Thus, for example, for a FN carrying a non-visa exempt passport, the system will verify whether the individual identified in that passport has been issued a proper visa connected, again, to
that passport. Similarly for the visa-exempt FN, the system will verify that there is a valid eTA for
that passport. Assuming the system works like it is supposed to work (no guarantee of this, as again it has taken years longer than planned for the government to get this system functional), once an individual becomes a PR that PR's passport will no longer be an authorized Travel Document, and the system is likely to give a
no board response.
Potential discretion to allow boarding notwithstanding a no board response from the IAPI system:
Recently posted information by IRCC makes it clear that the decision to deny boarding is nonetheless entirely that of the airlines. Cautions to PRs indicate that the failure to present a PR card or PR TD
MAY result in either a delay or being denied boarding . . . not that it will necessarily result in being denied boarding.
It is unclear whether this is merely a technical matter to immunize CBSA from liability claims from passengers or the airlines regarding costs incurred due to boarding being denied, or whether this is intended to actually provide the airlines with some discretion to nonetheless
allow boarding despite a
no board response from the IAPI system. My guess is both, but even if indeed this is intended to give the airlines discretion, there is no information about how that discretion might be exercised.
Eventually we will probably see some anecdotal reports, and perhaps be able to get a better idea of the extent to which the airlines might be exercising discretion,
if any.
But the actual implementation of the IAPI system is rather new, so there are more than a few unknowns and a lot of maybe's.
What is known is that the airlines are now using the IAPI system, it is mandatory, and the system will give the airlines a simple
"board" or
"no board" response based on whether, in the system, the traveler's Travel Document is verified as authorizing travel to Canada.
