Question Period Note: SECURITY SCREENING AND ADMISSIBILITY

Concerns about security screening

• All applicants for temporary, permanent, and refugee protection status are assessed by highly trained immigration officers to determine if they’re admissible to Canada and that they do not pose a threat to the health, safety, or security of Canadians.
• Applicant data is screened against security and intelligence partner databases in Canada and data held by our international partners to verify the identity of applicants and identify potential reasons for inadmissibility.
• As a standard practice, if concerns from IRCC’s initial assessment are identified, cases are referred to the CBSA, and/or CSIS for comprehensive security screening.
• Measures are in place for Canada’s law enforcement and security agencies to work in close collaboration with local and international partners to share information and investigate the activities of people who may pose a national security risk.

• Immigration security screening, monitoring and information sharing is a joint effort between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Policy (RCMP).

• Security screening and admissibility decisions are based on the available information at the time of screening (then an applicant applies for a citizenship, immigration or refugee application or when they enter Canada at a port of entry.

• IRCC conducts initial admissibility assessments on temporary and permanent residence applications. IRCC checks their personal information and history against departmental databases and risk indicators to verify their identity and assess any potential grounds for inadmissibility.

• When certain risk indicators are flagged, IRCC refers the application for comprehensive security screening by CSIS and the CBSA. These two organizations play an integral role in the security screening program, including by providing security information and advice to IRCC on immigration applicants.

• Applications are assessed by highly trained immigration officers who carefully and systematically assess each application against the criteria set out in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). A person may be found inadmissible, denied a visa or an electronic travel authorization (eTA), or refused entry or authorization to remain in Canada for multiple reasons, including criminality, misrepresentation, human rights violations, danger to public health and national security concerns. Each case is decided on its own merit and all applicants must satisfy the officer that they are not inadmissible to Canada to receive a positive determination on their application.

• Even after a visa has been issued, CBSA officers can identify individuals who may pose a risk, before they board an aircraft destined to Canada, as well as when they arrive at a Canadian port of entry. IRCC can also cancel visas if new information exposes issues before the person arrives in Canada.

• All foreign nationals, unless exempted, must provide their biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) when they apply for temporary and permanent residence and refugee protection. The use of biometrics is an important part of the immigration and border decision-making processes. It is a reliable and accurate tool for establishing and confirming a person’s identity, identifying possible grounds inadmissibility at the earliest possible opportunity.

• Once collected, fingerprints are screened against domestic immigration and criminal databases and the holdings of international partners. The fingerprints are transmitted to the RCMP for storage and searching against fingerprint records of known criminals, past refugee claimants, persons previously deported and previous immigration applicants. Combined, this screening increases Canada’s ability to make better-informed admissibility decisions, better mitigate identity theft, combat irregular migration and prevent persons who pose a risk to the safety and security of Canadians from entering the country.

• With the exception of some vulnerable groups and special measures in place to support resettlement initiatives, all permanent resident applicants must provide a police certificate or criminal record check as part of the application process. In certain cases, temporary resident applicants may also be asked to provide this documentation.

CBSA and CSIS Security screening

• Security screening conducted by the CBSA and CSIS is an important part of the overall assessment of whether a person is admissible to Canada. It aims to ensure that anyone who wants to come to Canada:
o has not engaged in an act of espionage that is against Canada or that is contrary to Canada’s interests;
o has not engaged in or instigated the subversion by force of any government;
o has not engaged in an act of subversion against a democratic government, institution, or process as they are understood in Canada;
o has not engaged in terrorism;
o has not engaged in acts of violence that would or might endanger the lives or safety of persons in Canada;
o does not pose a danger to the security of Canada;
o has not violated human or international rights; and,
o has not engaged in organized or transnational criminal activities.

• Canada’s standard security screening approach is a robust process that leverages biometrics along with biographic information to ensure that risks to national security and public safety are reduced and the integrity of our immigration system is upheld.

• All applicants are subject to universal and non-discriminatory considerations during the security screening process.

• When a file is referred for comprehensive security screening, the CBSA and CSIS have a range of tools at their disposal to confirm or negate security indicators, in order to then provide a recommendation to the IRCC decision maker, and these include information exchanges with international partners.

• IRCC officers ultimately makes the final decision on immigration applications. IRCC uses a holistic approach by taking into consideration all information and documentation on file, the recommendations made by the CBSA and/or CSIS, applicable jurisprudence, and the respective threat level.

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