A record number of Canada-bound visitors were turned away at airports overseas on the advice of Canadian border officials last year, the Star has learned. According to evidence submitted in a court case against the Canada Border Services Agency, in 2018 alone, 7,208 travellers were “off-loaded” by commercial airliners on the recommendation of its overseas agents because they were “improperly documented” — even though many were from countries where visas are not required. This compared to just 2,873 the year before and 2,769 in 2016.Last year, 1,860 of the rejected passengers were from Romania, followed by Mexico (1,767) and India (1,080), with Hungary (275) and Iran (164) rounding up the top five source countries. Romanians, Mexicans and Hungarians don’t need visas to visit Canada.Since 2012, border enforcement officials have adopted new guidelines when making recommendations to commercial airlines to intercept foreign nationals from visa-exempt countries whom they have reason to believe will remain in Canada on a permanent basis or intend to work and study in the country without proper visas. “The (guidelines were) drafted as a result of an increase in irregular migration in 2011 and 2012. While there were no regulatory changes, increased irregular migration called for additional guidance related to document screening,” border services agency spokesperson Judith Gadbois-St-Cyr said in response to questions from the Star.“The agency constantly adjusts its processes and operations when required in order to fulfil its mandate of providing integrated border services that support national security and public safety priorities and facilitate the free flow of persons and goods, including animals and plants, that meet all requirements.”Although liaison officers deployed overseas by the border agency are limited to providing advice, allowing the transporter to make the final call, airlines are prohibited from c ...
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