OTTAWA — A notice published Wednesday by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada gives border guards the “explicit” authority to revoke temporary resident visas and electronic travel documents in certain circumstances.
Border guards have always been able to turn people away if they believe someone will overstay their allotted time in Canada, but now they are able to revoke a temporary visa for that reason.
Border and immigration officers are also now able to revoke documents if a holder is deemed inadmissible to Canada or if it’s lost, stolen, destroyed or abandoned.
Temporary resident visas are issued to visitors, students and workers coming to Canada and do not guarantee entry to the country.
Immigration and border officers are also able to cancel these documents if a holder becomes a permanent resident, dies, or finds they were issued through an administrative error.
An official in Immigration Minister Marc Miller’s office says the recent changes will help remove temporary visas that have become redundant when the federal government does an inventory of existing visas.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2024.
David Baxter, The Canadian Press
