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Access to Information and Privacy Travel History Report

In this section.

A Travel History Report is a record of a traveller's entries, exits or both into Canada. This information is collected by the Canada Border Services Agency ( CBSA ).

Retention period for a Travel History Report is 15 years.

The CBSA began collecting traveller exit information on foreign nationals (excluding American citizens) entering the United States from Canada on June 30, 2013 . As of July 11, 2019 , the CBSA collects exit information on all travellers (including Canadian and American citizens) in the land mode and in the commercial air mode as of June 25, 2020 . Exit data may also be requested through the Travel History Report.

Highway Passage Reports may also be requested; however, they indicate only that a specific licence plate has been recorded, and do not show the people travelling in the vehicle.

Information collected for Travel History Reports

The records for both Entries and Exits include:

• date of birth
• citizenship
• date of entry
• location of the port of entry, and
• any document numbers associated with that travel, such as a passport number

When not to ask for a Travel History Report

When you request your Travel History Report directly from the CBSA it can take up to 30 days to complete. There are many reasons you may require your report, but sometimes requesting it directly is not the best option. When your travel history is needed as part of an application, such as the application for Canadian citizenship, check the form for the option to release your report. Using this option means that you will not have to request it yourself. When this option is available, requesting the report directly from the CBSA will cause a significant delay to your application process. Listed below are the three applications that do not require you to request your report directly from the CBSA .

Applying for Canadian Citizenship: Adults and Minors

If you are applying for Canadian Citizenship, you do not need to request your Traveller History Report from the CBSA. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can collect the report on your behalf when needed since consent to share information about the entry/exit information is no longer required.

Applying for Canadian Citizenship: Unaccompanied Minor

If you are applying for Canadian Citizenship you do not need to request your Traveller History Report from the CBSA . Checking "Yes" on page 6, Question 9 (b) of your application form permits Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ( IRCC ) to collect the report on your behalf.

Applying for a Permanent Resident card

If you are renewing or applying for a Permanent Resident Card you do not need to request your Traveller History Report from the CBSA . Checking "Yes" on page 3, (Section 7) Consent to Disclose Information allows IRCC to collect the report on your behalf.

Getting your Travel History report

If you have checked the When not to request your Travel History Report section and still need to request a copy, you can apply online by following the instructions on the Access to Information and Privacy online request page. Note that it may take up to 30 days to process your request.

If you are applying for yourself, you can do so under the Privacy Act, which is a free service provided by the Government of Canada.

If you are applying for someone else, you must provide form BSF745 - Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Representative completed by the party you are representing.

To get a highway passage report, provide the licence plate number and a copy of the vehicle's ownership. If you are not the owner, you will need to provide the CBSA with a BSF745 form completed by the owner of the vehicle.

When requesting your Travel History Report, you must indicate whether you are seeking your exit information, your entry information, or both. Exit information is limited and will only be included when specifically requested.

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Travel History in Express Entry Profile

• Thread starter Mumbai_Maratha
• Start date Jan 17, 2017

Mumbai_Maratha

Hero member.

Hello Experts, After ITA, we need to complete online application... In Travel History I have few questions: I am from India and came to Canada during Jan-2014. I have visited India 3-4 time in last 3 years. 1) Do i need to mention all those travel ? 2) Do I need to include my first travel from India to Canada ? Thanks in advance.  

Mumbai_Maratha said: Hello Experts, After ITA, we need to complete online application... In Travel History I have few questions: I am from India and came to Canada during Jan-2014. I have visited India 3-4 time in last 3 years. 1) Do i need to mention all those travel ? 2) Do I need to include my first travel from India to Canada ? Thanks in advance. Click to expand...

Star Member

I have the same question too. I've been living in Canada since 18th b-day and only traveled back to my home country 5 times since then. (3 month max) Do I have to include those trips too? If so, do I list those trip TO my home country? Thanks  

I guess all group EXPERTS got an ITA and busy with their application : My understanding is that I should NOT report my travel between my home country (INDIA) and my country of residence (Canada ), is that right? I only reported trips to countries other than my home country and Canada. Can anyone please confirm?  

OMG_Chakromakro

Champion member.

Mumbai_Maratha said: Hello Experts, After ITA, we need to complete online application... In Travel History I have few questions: I am from India and came to Canada during Jan-2014. I have visited India 3-4 time in last 3 years. 1) Do i need to mention all those travel ? YES 2) Do I need to include my first travel from India to Canada ? YES Thanks in advance. Click to expand...

the idea is to explain each and every Stamp on your Passport (every travel outside your country of residence(canada ) and citizenship(india) )  

OptimisticHope

Yes. That's what they clearly mentioned in the applicaiton. Travel information other than your home country and country of residence. But in my case i got another question as I lived in USA for few years in past. When I had those travels, it was my country of residence , but not now. In this case do I need to mention those trips in my travel history as well ? (Ofcourse I provided those dates in my 10years address history.)  

But I am in Canada since 2014....Still I need to mention them ? If say I mentioned them, how should I need to mention them as a Resident of Canada (as I am in Canada at the moment) or citizen of India ?? Makes lots of difference  

What do I do if only 30 raws are available to fill my travel history in last 10 years while I have 52? shall I send a separate letter to CIC? there is no attachment bottom to add the document please help!  

mserieh said: What do I do if only 30 raws are available to fill my travel history in last 10 years while I have 52? shall I send a separate letter to CIC? there is no attachment bottom to add the document please help! Click to expand...

thank you, appreciate it.  

premchandar.au

dan_and said: Travel between your country of residence and your country of origin does not need to be reported. It is incorrect that the idea of the travel history is to "explain" each stamp in your passport. CIC does not even want to see the stamps in your passport (the bio page is enough) and does not require your old passports. The stamps are helpful of course in retracing your travel history so you don't forget anything. For example, many European countries do not stamp the passport once you are in the Schengen-zone, but you still need to report travel to individual countries even if you don't have a stamp. Some other countries no longer stamp passports but use an electronic system to keep track of entry and exit. So in other words, follow the instructions. Report all international trips outside your country of residence or origin, whether you have a stamp for it or not. Click to expand...

OptimisticHope said: Yes. That's what they clearly mentioned in the applicaiton. Travel information other than your home country and country of residence. But in my case i got another question as I lived in USA for few years in past. When I had those travels, it was my country of residence , but not now. In this case do I need to mention those trips in my travel history as well ? (Ofcourse I provided those dates in my 10years address history.) Click to expand...

Hi I have similar situation also, but i have submitted my profile and forget to mention one of the countries i have visited. what are the consequences can happen if any one can help thanks.  

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IMMIGRATION STATION CANADA

Professional Immigration Advocates

• Feb 18, 2021

AVOID THESE 5 SERIOUS CANADIAN IMMIGRATION MISTAKES!

Canadian Immigration, despite the term "Express Entry," is a marathon and a big part of this is jumping through many hoops to obtain sufficient documentation so that when you receive your Invitation to Apply (ITA) you submit a successful application for permanent residency.

From the time you receive your Invitation to Apply for permanent residency, you have a limited period (60 days, 90 during the COVID-19 pandemic) to submit your application and if anything is missing or incorrect, your file will be closed and marked as incomplete or even REJECTED! . If this happens there is no way to re-open the application and so it is critical that you get it right the first time.

EXPRESS ENTRY ERRORS 1,2,3,4,5

1. proof of work experience.

This is an absolutely critical part of your application! You must prove that your work experience is eligible for Express Entry and if you are unable to do this your application will be closed or rejected .

Work experience is demonstrated by including a specific set of documents that are prepared in a specific way. The Canadian government determines what documents qualify for this purpose, and a pplications are assessed for completeness upfront . If you do not provide the correct type of proof, and your application is found to be inconsistent, or incomplete it will be rejected. If this occurs there will be no way to have the application reopened . A ll fees associated with the application will be refunded to you.

How to Avoid this Common Immigration Error: Make sure that you include as much evidence of your employment as you can and that it includes all of the information that is required by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada so that you make it easy for the officer to assess your application. Express Entry applications must include an employment verification letter, written to the specifications that have been prescribed by IRCC. It must demonstrate that your employment meets the minimum requirements for length of time, the number of hours and national occupation code skill type. Leaving out a vital piece of information could cause an application to be rejected so be sure the provide complete employment verification letters.

You should also provide additional documentation such as payslips and contracts. If you are in Canada , T4s and notices of assessment are also very good evidence of your employment.

2. Sending Documents in a Language Other Than French or English

The two official languages in Canada are English and French. As such, all documents must be submitted in English or French. If you have sent a document without a translation your application will be returned as incomplete or denied.

Canada's Official Languages are English and French

How to Avoid this Common Immigration Error: If your document is in another language then you must provide a translation of the document that has been completed by an approved translator. You should include the translator’s affidavit, the original document and the translation. Your document may be translated into English or French.

If a supporting document is in a language other than English or French, the applicant must provide IRCC with

an English or French translation stamped by a certified translator or accompanied by an affidavit from the person who completed the translation, if it is not possible to have the translation done by a certified translator

The translation package should include a copy of the original source document that was used by the translator, and the translation of all contents of the original document in either English or French. Both the source document and the translation must either be stamped by the translator or referred to in the affidavit

a scan of the original document, or a scan of a certified photocopy of the original document

3. Incomplete Travel History

Often people ask if they can leave out parts of their travel history, because it was insignificant in length, or because it was a series of 20 countries in 20 days and they don't want to list them all, or it was a series of countries in a geographical area and they would rather list the area than the specifics surrounding their travels in an effort save time. However, saving time may come at the cost of permanent residency in Canada.

Providing incorrect information may lead to your being found inadmissible for misrepresentation.

How to Avoid this Common Immigration Error: The answer is really simple - i nclude your entire travel history, no matter how long or short the trip! You are required to provide a complete travel history for your Express Entry application. The travel history does not include your country of residence or citizenship but does include all other travel. If you do not include travel that may seem insignificant to you, you risk having your application returned to you or being found inadmissible for misrepresentation. You must include your entire travel history, big or small!

4. Incorrect National Occupation Code

Choosing the correct National Occupation Code (NOC) , which corresponds with your work experience, is another critical part of your Express Entry application . The Express Entry program requires that work experience is in a skill type 0, A or B, and to be related to a specific NOC you must have performed the actions prescribed in the lead statement, all of the main duties, and a substantial number of all of the duties that are listed.

Canada's National Occupation Code classification is a standardized system that is used by the Canadian government to assess different occupations by assigning a four digit classification code and a job description to all occupations. The codes are broken down further into skill types, 0, A, B, C, and D. Assessing officers will use this information when they are reviewing your application, comparing it to the work experience documentation you provided, so that they may ensure that you meet the requirements for the stream of immigration to which you were invited to apply for permanent residency. Choosing the wrong national occupation code or having work experience that is ineligible will result in your application being rejected.

The assessing officer will be looking to ensure that your employment occurred in the correct skill type and for the duration required by the stream of immigration through which you received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency. The duties of the position must match those of your stated primary National Occupation Code .

Choosing the wrong NOC could result in your application being denied!

How to Avoid this Common Immigration Error: Your choice of primary National Occupation Code is very important to your application for permanent residence in Canada. The best place to start is by doing a search of the NOC database to find out how individual occupations are classified or to learn about the main duties, educational requirements and other related information.

You should search by name and review the duties of the position. It is important that you review the NOC codes very carefully and consider any exclusions (related jobs) to the NOC code you are looking at. Focus on the duties listed in the NOC, rather than the title of the position, and find the one that most closely relates to what you do in your job. Finding the correct NOC can be challenging and if you need help from a professional, don't hesitate to get it because choosing the wrong code could result in your application being denied.

5. Calculating Full and Part-Time Hours

Work experience hours are often miscalculated. This happens when you consider only the yearly total (1560 hours) and do not consider how this is calculated.

Many people count the actual number of hours worked per week to make up the total of 1560 per year, assuming that they are able to complete their work experience requirement in less time than is prescribed for each Express Entry program. You may assume that if you typically work a 40 hour work week then you will reach the total number of hours after 39 weeks, or if you work really hard and do 60 hours a week then you would reach the total hours after just 26 weeks. Don't do this! You'll exhaust yourself and you still won't be qualified for Express Entry. On the upside, you will hopefully have lots of money!

Any hours above 30h hours per week are not counted so don’t try to get your experience in half the time by working 60 hours a week.

How to Avoid this Common Immigration Error: The program requirement for work experience is seeking to validate both the period of time and amount of work in the period and to ensure that both of these requirements are satisfied only 30 hours of work per week will be calculated towards your total full-time hours and only 15 hours of work a week will be counted towards your total part-time hours.

Most streams require one year of work experience or 1560 hours. The Federal Skilled Worker stream requires that one year of work is continuous. In contrast, the Canadian Experience Class allows you to obtain one year of work experience non-continuously.

If you work 30 hours per week it will take 52 weeks to obtain 1560 hours, ensuring that both the hours of work and the requirement for 1 year of work experience is satisfied.

When you are calculating your hours be sure to count only 30 hours per week for a full-time position and only 15 hours per week for a part-time position. This may be made up of more than one job in many cases, but no more than 30 hours will be counted towards your work experience.

Immigration Station Canada is a dedicated, professional Canadian Immigration firm practicing out of Northumberland County , just east of Toronto , in Canada . We serve clients from Kingston, Belleville, Brighton, Cobourg, Oshawa, the GTA, Guelph, Milton, Stratford and St. Catharines and around the world . Our Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, Anne C. McCaughey (Annie) is an experienced immigration services provider and a fifth-generation Canadian who values the immigration process and the unique individuals who immigrate to Canada to become part of the fabric of this wonderful country. If you would like to submit a question to Ask Annie, use the link located at the top right of the page.

How Can We Help?

We do work permits , study permits, visitor visas, Express Entry , spousal sponsorship, family class sponsorship, and Canadian citizenship with expertise in Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications and Global Talent Stream applications.

Please contact us if you would like assistance with your immigration application or to book an appointment.

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Canadian government can now verify how many days immigrants and visitors stay in the country

Canada’s federal immigration ministry has been able to track the movements of travellers entering and leaving the country by land since February 2019. The number of days a foreign national stays in the country is relevant to applications for work permits, study permits, visitor visas, permanent residence status, and Canadian citizenship.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been able to obtain traveller information from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) through the Entry/Exit Program.

When travellers cross the U.S. border from Canada, their basic information is sent to CBSA in the form of an “exit report.”

IRCC can now access traveller information for “the administration and enforcement of immigration and citizenship programs,” according to the CBSA webpage.

Basic information collected at the border includes:

• Date of birth;
• Nationality or citizenship;
• Travel document information including type, number and issuing country.

The Entry/Exit Program is expected to be extended to air travel in June 2020.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

What is the purpose of the Entry/Exit Program?

IRCC will have access to traveller information in order to verify residency requirements such as those in applications for Canadian citizenship and permanent residence, the government webpage says.

They will also be able to tell whether foreign nationals have overstayed their allowable period of admission to Canada.

The information will facilitate IRCC’s investigations into a person’s entitlement to a Canadian travel document, as well as support investigations of possible fraud related to immigration, citizenship, passport and travel document programs.

In addition, IRCC will be able to verify that sponsors and partners reside in Canada for inland family class programs.

IRCC will also verify whether or not a refugee claimant came to Canada using their travel documents.

How will the information be used

IRCC says entry and exit information will be used for application types across all lines of business in immigration, citizenship and investigations.

Immigration

Temporary residence.

Information gathered through the Entry/Exit Program can be used to determine if a foreign national has previously exceeded their period of stay in Canada.

IRCC will use entry and exit information for the following temporary residence application types:

• temporary resident visas;
• temporary resident permits;
• visitor records;
• work permits and work permit extensions;
• study permits and study permit extensions; and
• electronic travel authorizations (eTAs).

“As air carriers begin sharing their data (2020 to 2021), overstay indicators will begin appearing within the Entry/Exit search results for temporary residents who have overstayed their allowable time in Canada,” the IRCC webpage says. “This will prompt IRCC officers to make an informed determination on select temporary residence applications.”

Permanent residence

IRCC will use entry and exit information for the following permanent residence application types:

• permanent resident cards;
• permanent resident travel documents;
• overseas refugees; and
• family class sponsorships.

Data collected for these application types will track the periods of time immigration candidates spend in and outside Canada. Applicants must be in Canada for at least 730 days in every five year period in order to qualify for permanent residence.

Exit and entry data will be used to assist the IRCC in checking for the potential loss of permanent resident status, and misrepresentation. It will also assist in verifying foreign police certificates.

Inland refugee claims

IRCC will use entry and exit data to investigate the travel history of in-Canada asylum seekers, and verify information provided by claimants.

Records that show inconsistencies on the claimant’s application could prompt further investigation.

• Citizenship

Those applying for Canadian citizenship must also demonstrate physical presence in the county for at least 1095 days within the five years immediately preceding the date of application.

The information will also be used to assist in cases where Canadian citizenship may be revoked.

Investigations

Citizenship revocation investigations.

Entry and exit data will be used to determine whether or not the candidate has made a false statement about their residence in Canada for the purpose of acquiring citizenship.

Passport investigations

The information will be used to facilitate investigations into an individual’s entitlement to Canadian passport services. Data may be used to validate travel history, and may be used to determine whether a passport may be refused or revoked in case of misuse, or fraud.

Traveller rights

Travellers have the right to request a copy of their personal travel history. If they find an error in their file, they may ask CBSA to correct it.

If a request to correct travel information has been made, IRCC officers are notified and are able to obtain the most up-to-date information from CBSA.

IRCC is required to comply with the Privacy Act . Officers are not authorized to disclose entry and exit information unless it is necessary for the administration of the Immigration Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and is covered under a memorandum of understanding or similar information-sharing agreements.

CBSA has information-sharing agreements with the Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RCMP), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

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