Why Canadian and U.S. border authorities are cracking down on 'flagpoling'

here in Su the Peace Arch border is one of the busiest border crossing between US and Canada it is also one of the most popular options for temporary residents to renew their status via flag pooling here's how the process works you travel across the border whether it be for a minute an hour or several days depending on your status then you travel back North to Canada Border Services Agency where they review your documents and can provide you with a new residency stick status such as a renewed study permit or work permit extend your temporary residence status or confirm your permanent residence turning what can be months-long process into a very short one despite some time savings there are some risks Associated the Canada Border Services Agency says that people who apply via flag polling may not be able to re-enter Canada and this also applies to people with maintained status the agency says it discourages FL FL pooling and as of May 30 it has limited hours of flag pooling services at 12 ports of entry in BC Ontario and Quebec the cbsa says the limitation introduced is to enable Frontline officers to efficiently process large volume of Travelers in Peak periods and to focus on other key priorities but one immigration consultant says that's not going to be of much help I'm not sure that that would be the Cure I'm not sure that that that is going to lessen um applicants from wanting or needing to flag poll although a risky endeav Lee says flag polling is necessary in certain situations the example of that could be that a company can't wait the 60 to 90 days for ircc to process the application in order for the worker to start working and so that's the usefulness of it and that's the reason why people do it in a statement to CBC immigration refugees and CI C ship Canada says there are policies in place that let workers get authorization quickly to start working for a new employer rather than waiting earlier this week US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Canada to stop permitting flag polling saying the process is putting pressure on US Customs and Border Protection by increasing traffic and wait time here at the border hampering smooth commerce between our Nations hampering tourism but Washington based immigration lawyer says otherwise I don't see it as a problem I've never heard an immigration officer on the American side complain about it or comment FL polling has gone on for years as a backlog of online and paper applications have created lengthy wait times for some however as immigration experts say it's a process to approach with caution and extra preparation sh chetri CBC News sorry

Channel: CBC Vancouver

Views: 16,598

Keywords: live news, cbc, cbcnews, vancouver news, news, BC news, vancouver, british columbia

Id: deS5WQM4LK0

Length: 2min 58sec (178 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 04 2024