The Entry-Exit Program of the Government of Canada is used to collect and share information of all travelers entering and exiting Canada.
Who Manages the Entry-Exit Program?
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) administers and manages the complete entry and exit information in their records. It gets recorded in the Global Case Management System (GCMS) and can be assessed only by the authorized personnel post their security clearance. They access the data based on their requirement to carry out the daily tasks.
What Does IRCC Do with the Entry-Exit Program Information
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), requests and collects data from the GCMS as per their requirement to do activities under the Citizenship Act, Canadian Passport Order and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
IRCC utilizes data from the CBSA’s Entry/Exit Information System to do the below activities including but not limited to:
- Verification of client’s residency requirements at the time of processing an application for Permanent Resident Card (PR Cards) or grants of citizenship (CIT)
- Verify if any temporary resident overstayed in Canada crossing their allowed period of stay
- Collect data to support an investigation to determine the eligibility of a person for a Canadian travel document
- Determine that sponsors are abiding by the law and residing in Canada as needed
- Confirm the relationship status of spouses and partners as per applications under the family class
- Validate the entry details of a refugee claimant as per their travel documentation
- Collect data to support investigations in alleged fraud cases in citizenship, passport, travel document, and immigration programs
- Determine if a medical examination is required and verify a person’s residency requirements
How Different Line of business (LOB) Use Entry-Exit Program Data
IRCC uses the entry and exit information for below application types across all LOBs.
- Temporary residence
- Permanent residence
- Citizenship
- Passport
Temporary residence
Below is the list of temporary residence applications that utilize data from the entry-exit program:
- Temporary resident permits
- temporary resident visas
- work permits and work permit extensions
- visitor records
- electronic travel authorizations (ETAs)
- study permits and study permit extensions
- Determine if any foreign national exceeded their authorized time for a stay in Canada
Permanent residence
Below is the list of permanent residence applications that utilize data from the entry-exit program:
- Refugee applications made from outside Canada
- Permanent Resident cards
- PR travel documents
- Family Class sponsorships
- Validate time period of stay in Canada for people applying for permanent residency
- Validate if the sponsor is residing in Canada for all sponsorship applications
- Determine the validity of refugee claimant asylum application information from within Canada
In-Canada asylum
Determining refugee claimant’s travel details to verify the refugee claimant’s application as per Article 1(E) of the United Nations Convention and Protocol for Refugee Status
Citizenship
Below is the list of citizenship applications that utilize data from the entry-exit program:
- Validate staying in Canada as per physical presence requirements for citizenship applications as per subsection 5(1) of the Citizenship Act
- Help to identify possible loss of PR status
- Determine if any applicant requires to submit police clearance certificates
- Provide data for supporting an investigation into any possible client residency misrepresentation cases where such data is used for acquiring citizenship
Passport
Data from the entry-exit program is used for
- All potential passport investigations
- Support investigations into a person’s eligibility for Canadian passport services
- Support investigations into possible cases of identify fraud, passport fraud or passport misuse
How We Can Help
Skilled Immigration lawyers at Nanda & Associate lawyers can advise and support you in all complex immigration matters. Personalized care with knowledgeable legal counsel is offered to all our esteemed clients.
Whether you need help to understand the permanent residency maintenance requirements or prepare your citizenship application, our skillful lawyers and Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) at Nanda & Associate Lawyers will ensure that you smoothly navigate the immigration process with successful outcomes.
