Canada has stopped post-graduate work permit for foreign nationals at the Canadian port of entry to reduce flagpoling and allow border officers more time to complete enforcement activities. The move is also expected to reduce delays for travelers and speed up the movement of commercial goods between Canada and the United States, the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced.
Flagpoling means exiting Canada border and then immediately entering to access the same-day immigration services. Temporary residents of Canada used this option to bypass the normal wait time for a work or study permit — by leaving the country and then immediately re-entering to receive same-day immigration servcies. This is a legal practice but it has increased taking up significant resources at the border as officers get involved in the immigration work.
“Flagpoling is a legal practice, by which eligible temporary residents (those on a work/study permit, or with a visitor visa/electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)) can receive immigration services by exiting and returning to Canada through a designated port of entry (POE), within 24 hours. The process provides an opportunity to skip long waiting periods and processing times that can often follow applying online or by paper to IRCC. An additional advantage is being able to converse with an immigration official face-to-face, which can be useful when addressing issues with an immigration application,” the department said.
“The time and effort required to process applications from ‘flagpolers’ takes officers on both sides of the border away from their crucial role in protecting the safety, security and prosperity of Canadians and Americans. This measure will help prevent this practice, while maintaining the integrity of our immigration system,” immigration minister Marc Miller said.
Among other eligibility criteria (including meeting requirements for the immigration pathway applied for, and basic entry requirements to Canada) newcomers engaging in flagpoling are strongly encouraged to maintain valid legal status or have maintained status in Canada when leaving and re-entering. Out-of-status newcomers who attempt to use flagpoling services can risk deportation.
Flagpoling means exiting Canada border and then immediately entering to access the same-day immigration services. Temporary residents of Canada used this option to bypass the normal wait time for a work or study permit — by leaving the country and then immediately re-entering to receive same-day immigration servcies. This is a legal practice but it has increased taking up significant resources at the border as officers get involved in the immigration work.
“Flagpoling is a legal practice, by which eligible temporary residents (those on a work/study permit, or with a visitor visa/electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)) can receive immigration services by exiting and returning to Canada through a designated port of entry (POE), within 24 hours. The process provides an opportunity to skip long waiting periods and processing times that can often follow applying online or by paper to IRCC. An additional advantage is being able to converse with an immigration official face-to-face, which can be useful when addressing issues with an immigration application,” the department said.
“The time and effort required to process applications from ‘flagpolers’ takes officers on both sides of the border away from their crucial role in protecting the safety, security and prosperity of Canadians and Americans. This measure will help prevent this practice, while maintaining the integrity of our immigration system,” immigration minister Marc Miller said.
Among other eligibility criteria (including meeting requirements for the immigration pathway applied for, and basic entry requirements to Canada) newcomers engaging in flagpoling are strongly encouraged to maintain valid legal status or have maintained status in Canada when leaving and re-entering. Out-of-status newcomers who attempt to use flagpoling services can risk deportation.
