Foreign nationals who refuse or are unable to pay for their own travel home after being denied a stay in Canada will soon face harsher financial penalties if they ever attempt to return.
According to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials, the tariff framework was updated for the first time since 1993 and will come into effect in April of this year.
Visitors deemed inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act will still be required to pay their own exit travel costs, but the Canadian government will continue to intervene when necessary and cover the costs to ensure prompt deportation.
Reimbursement for travel expenses will increase significantly this spring and will not take into account the traveler’s destination. Previously, inadmissible foreigners were required to pay approximately $1,500 upon their subsequent attempt to return to Canada. That fee will soon be just over $3,800 for those leaving the country unescorted and just over $12,800 for those escorted by Canadian officials.
The CBSA says the costs associated with removing a person deemed inadmissible may include purchasing airline tickets, conducting removal interviews, obtaining travel documents, making removal arrangements, case management, association and liaison work.
“This update on cost recovery for the removal of inadmissible aliens introduced by the CBSA builds on our plan to strengthen border security and our immigration system,” Public Safety Minister David J. McGuinty said in a statement. published on Friday.
“In recent months, we have reimposed the visa requirement on Mexican visitors, aligned service hours between Canada and the United States at many ports of entry, and ended the use of flags for work and study permits at the border. preventing the entry of 70,000 non-residents. United States The security partnership between Canada and the United States has kept people safe on both sides of the border for decades, and we will always be looking for ways to strengthen it further.”
The CBSA says it recovers nearly $500,000 each year in removal costs from foreign nationals who apply to return. More than 14,000 inadmissible foreigners were removed from Canada during the first 10 months of 2024.
