Question Period Note: Flagpoling

There have been recent media calls to the CBSA and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada regarding the issue of flagpoling.

• Flagpoling is the practice whereby a foreign national in Canada chooses to leave and then re-enter the country, for the sole purpose of obtaining immediate, same-day immigration services at a port of entry.

• While some of these services are available through Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) inland application processes, they could take several weeks to complete.

• To address the operational impacts of flagpoling, some ports of entry have implemented a service delivery model to manage high volume periods, while ensuring resources remain focused on core activities.

• This practice also impacts the operations of U.S. counterparts and is of concern to them, as they must expend resources to process individuals entering from Canada, who are immediately exiting the country for Canadian immigration services.

• The CBSA is working with IRCC to find sustainable solutions for in-Canada immigration services in order to reduce flagpoling.

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), temporary residents in Canada have the option of either being processed in-Canada by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which can take many weeks, or obtaining same-day immigration service at a port of entry (POE). Obtaining these services at the POE is generally referred to as flagpoling. Given the significant difference in processing times, temporary residents often choose to flagpole.

Examples of flagpole applications include:
• seeking a new work permit; or
• requesting to be landed as a permanent resident.

Although flagpoling has been a longstanding practice, several factors have contributed to a steady increase in volumes. Some clients wait four to six weeks to get an appointment with IRCC for a permanent resident landing. To increase the appeal of in-Canada landings, IRCC has extended office hours at 10 locations and offers walk-in appointments in Montreal.

Increased business volumes and flagpole cases have a direct impact on CBSA border operations and wait times, as well as create additional costs. In 2017, the CBSA piloted interim service delivery models at the busiest POEs in the two regions most impacted by flagpoling volumes (Southern Ontario and Quebec) that limited flagpole processing to specific times and days of the week. These pilots, which remain in place, have allowed the CBSA to manage immigration secondary wait times during high volume periods, while ensuring that resources remain focused on safety, security and trade priorities. The pilots have had limited success, however, as the CBSA has observed that wait times have lengthened at the POEs where they are in place, which has caused increased demand for flagpoling at other POEs.

The CBSA is working closely with IRCC to increase client awareness of inland service options and other considerations that negate the need to flagpole.

The CBSA and IRCC have committed to exploring sustainable solutions to provide better immigration in-Canada services in order to reduce reliance on flagpoling.

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