At midnight on Monday, the immigration practice known as “flag pole” has officially ended, the Canada Border Services Agency said in a press release.
According to the CBSA, flag pole occurs when foreigners holding temporary resident status in Canada leave the country and, after a visit to the United States or Saint Pierre and Miquelon, return to access immigration services at a port of entry.
The agency said work and study permits will no longer be issued to flag bearers at a port of entry, effective Dec. 23 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
“This practice has tied up significant resources at the border, diverting Canadian and U.S. officers from important law enforcement activities, and has contributed to wait times for cross-border travelers,” the press release from the agency said. CBSA.
Manan Gupta, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant based in Brampton, Ontario, said “this has become a very popular trend in recent years.”
This usually happens when a person needs a visa or extension on short notice.
“If someone gets a job offer and needs to start soon, they often resort to flagging to get same-day visa services,” he said.
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Basicallywhen throwing a flag, a person leaves Canada and presents himself to American border agents, indicating that they intend to return to Canada and not remain in the United States.
Once arriving at the Canadian port of entry, the CBSA can then review the person’s application for the immigration service they wish to receive.
“They can simply tell the U.S. border agent that you don’t have a U.S. visa and they will turn you around before you can enter the United States. You can then enter Canada, where CBSA officers will process your request,” Gupta said. “You can imagine why this was an irritant for the United States when the movement of goods and people was blocked in border traffic.”
In May of this year, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asked the Canadian government put an end to this practice on its side of the border.
Gupta said applicants are turning to the flag as a “last resort” because of high wait times for visa processing in Canada.
As of December 17, the average processing time for a work permit in Canada was 170 days, while the average wait time for a student permit was nine weeks.
“There was nothing illegal about this practice (before Tuesday), but it shows that the system was not working well when wait times were so long,” Gupta said.
Applicants attempting to apply for a work or study permit at the Canada-US border will be asked to submit their application to immigration officials.
Gupta welcomed the government’s decision to end this measure.
“This created a two-tier immigration system. Why should wait times be different for different people? »
Every year, thousands of people raise the flag at Canadian ports of entry and since 2021, there has been a year-over-year increase, according to CBSA statistics shared with Global News.
As of June 2, a total of 32,410 people have waved the flag.
Last year, 61,561 people used the tactic, which is a 90% increase from 2022, when 32,394 people waved a flag at the Canada-U.S. border.
In 2021, the number of flags dropped by 34 percent as non-essential travel to the U.S.-Canada border was restricted amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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