Timeline – CBSA Border Measures

Date: July 22, 2020

Classification: Unclassified

Branch/Agency: SPB/CBSA

Measures

January 22

Enhanced screening border measures at 4 major airports – travellers from Wuhan:

January 31

Administrative Deferral of Removal (ADR) imposed on Hubei province, China

January 31

Introduction of new screening form and screening aid for all persons detained and admitted to a detention facility

February 1

Expansion of enhanced screening to other airports

Locations: Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Billy Bishop, Ottawa, Quebec City, and Halifax airports

February 6

Detention Reviews by IRB by telephone or videoconference

For detainees who respond in the affirmative to specific screening questions.

February 8

New information brochure:

Issued by BSOs, with specific instructions for travellers who have been in the Province of Hubei

February 9

Enhanced screening at all airports:

Locations: All international airports in Canada

February 14

Occupational health and safety advice from Health Canada: provided to Border Services Officers (BSOs)

February 17

Contact tracing for travellers who have been in Hubei (PHAC)

February 19

Surgical mask kits begin being issued by BSOs to all travellers who reported that they have been in the Province of Hubei

March 4

Expansion of screening – travellers from Iran:

Locations: All international airports in Canada to include Iran

March 6

Enhanced health screening in land, rail and marine mode: added to border processing for travellers seeking entry into Canada by car, rail or ferry

March 12

Expansion of screening - travellers from Italy

Locations: All international airports in Canada to include Italy

March 12

Introduction of new procedures requiring all detainees who are being transported and detained must wear a mask

March 14

Enhanced signage implemented: at all ports of entry

March 15

Quarantine Officers deployed on-site at Toronto (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR) and Montreal (YUL) international airports.

Quarantine Officers available to conduct health assessments through the 24/7 Central Notification System (CNS) Line for all other locations where Quarantine Officers were not on-site.

March 16

Public visits to IHCs suspended

March 16

New procedures in place at Immigration Holding Centres (IHCs)

March 16

Request for all inbound travellers to self-isolate (PHAC)

International flights are redirected to only four international airports: Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver

March 16

Waiving of duties and taxes on temporarily imported goods for emergency use in response to COVID-19 (Finance Canada)

March 16

Contact tracing for all symptomatic travellers (PHAC)

All travellers who display symptoms consistent with COVID-19, such as a cough, fever, or difficult breathing, are required to complete a PHAC contact tracing form.

March 16

Customs Notice 20-08

March 17

President correspondence to the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization

To encourage WCO Member States to maintain coordinated action and avoid unduly disrupting international trade supply chains.

March 17

CBSA and US CPB agrees to strike a Task Force to advance the Canada-US Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)

To facilitate efficient trade and the cross-border movement of essential goods, workers and services in North America.

March 17

Removals Postponed:

Mid-March

Temporary Targets in effect for counterfeit medical supplies in the commercial stream

In collaboration with US CBP, CBSA has created targets to aid commercial BSOs in identifying possible counterfeit shipments of medical supplies for examination.

March 18

Air Travel Ban on Foreign Nationals put in place: Foreign Nationals are restricted from entering Canada if they arrive by aircraft coming from a foreign country.

Subject to specific exemptions, which included:

March 18

CBSA engagement with stakeholders and industry

March 18

Quarantine Officers deployed on-site at Calgary (YYC) international airport

Quarantine Officers available to conduct health assessments through the 24/7 Central Notification System (CNS) Line for all other locations where Quarantine Officers were not on-site.

March 19

Grace period for late accounting penalties

Provide for a 45 business days grace period for late accounting penalties. Clients will not have to submit an application to have late accounting penalties waived. This applies to transactions released from March 11, 2020, to May 14, 2020, inclusively.

March 19

Customs Notice 20-09

CBSA issued a Customs Notice indicating that effective immediately, the period of 90 days for submitting corrections, following a CBSA trade compliance verification where errors were found, would be automatically extended by 30 days.

March 21

Travel restrictions in effect (as agreed until April 21, 2020):

March 22

Travel restrictions in effect (as signed until June 30, 2020):

March 25

Mandatory isolation for all inbound travellers (PHAC)

March 25

Additional contact tracing of some asymptomatic travellers (PHAC)

The CBSA expands contact tracing to include a random sample of 200 asymptomatic travellers. Contact information continues to be collected for all symptomatic travellers.

March 26

OIC 9 entered into force (also known as OIC 0185)

This OIC prohibits foreign nationals from seeking entry to Canada at any location to make a claim for refugee protection

March 27

Prime Minister’s announcement to extend the timeframe for the payment of customs duties, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)

By March 27

In-person reporting for detainees released on Alternatives to Detention eliminated

March 29

Temporary Lookouts in effect for non-compliance with self-isolation requirements

March 30

CBSA suspends all trade compliance interactions with trade chain partners until April 20

March 31

Expansion of contact tracing to all travellers arriving in land and air mode who are required to self-isolate (PHAC)

March 31

Tariff classification and other information to import medical supplies (WCO)

April 2

Domestic PHAC exemption for Mohawks of Akwesasne First Nation

April 2

Carriers to Sign up For Electronic Notices

All carriers are encouraged to sign up to receive electronic notices.

April 6

Centralized Traveller History Requests pursuant to Quarantine Act

April 7

Relief of imported goods for emergency use

In collaboration with Finance Canada, the CBSA provided relief of duty and tax for goods required for an emergency and are imported by or on behalf of federal, provincial or municipal entities involved such as centres for health care as well as by or on behalf of members of first response organizations such as police, fire and local civil defense groups, including medical response teams.

April 9

Sharing of COVID-19 Lookouts with RCMP

April 14

Canadian Automated Export Declaration (CAED) Decommissioning Delay

The CAED decommissioning date has been extended from
June 30, 2020 to September 30, 2020, however, exporters and customs service providers are encouraged to activate their Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS) accounts as soon a possible.

April 15

Temporary Reduction of Select Land Ports of Entry (POEs)

April 15

OIC 10 – Enhanced Border Measures in support of mandatory Quarantine and Isolation

April 16

Medical Supplies

April 17

Suspension of all trade compliance interactions with trade chain partners extended until further notice.

April 20

Travel restrictions extended for 30 days

April 20

Amendments to the Immigration Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR)

April 21

Removals Postponed (extension)

April 21

CBSA issues direction to travellers driving across land borders into Canada to wear a non-medical mask or face covering

April 22

Extension of restriction on non-essential travel across the Canada-U.S. Border

April 22

Soft Launch of ArriveCAN mobile application

April 23

Safety Measures for Commercial Stakeholders

CBSA commercial offices open to the public are employing systems to promote physical distancing for our commercial clients, including driver queuing areas and waiting rooms, the use of signage and/or the use of tape or any other marking material on floors to identify the PHAC recommended 2 metre distance. Officers have been briefed on preventing the spread of COVID-19, and plexiglass protective barriers in higher-risk CBSA facilities are beginning to be installed.

Information For Carriers/Drivers

Additional information for Carriers and Drivers is provided with respect to border measures and commercial conveyances.

April 29

National Launch of ArriveCan Application

May 5

Regulatory Amendments Regarding the Imposition of Mandatory Conditions on Foreign Nationals Authorized to Enter Canada in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

May 8

Waiving tariffs on certain medical goods

May 11

System Changes to validate PPE Importations

The CBSA has made system changes to ensure that importations of PPE can be validated electronically, thereby ensuring that supplies meet import requirements and are not unnecessarily delayed.

May 12

Temporary Suspension of Service at Select Air and Marine Ports of Entry (until further notice)

May 12 (11:59 PM ET)

Temporary suspension of the Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) program

May 15

Termination of the Automatic Waiver of Late Accounting Penalties

May 21

Removals Postponed (extension)

May 22

Extension of restriction on non-essential travel across the Canada-U.S. Border

May 29

Updated measures for cruise ships and passenger vessels in Canadian waters

Cruise ships with overnight accommodations allowed to carry more than 100 persons are prohibited from operating in Canadian waters until October 31, 2020.

June 3

New measures for the use of face coverings in the Canadian Transportation sector

June 8

OIC 13 – Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Prohibition of Entry into Canada from any Country other than the United States)

June 8

OIC 14 – Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Prohibition of Entry into Canada from the United States)

June 19

OIC 15 – Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Mandatory Isolation), No. 2.

June 19

OIC 16 – Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Prohibition of Entry into Canada from the United States)

June 29

OIC 17 – Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Prohibition of Entry into Canada from any Country other than the United States)

June 29

OIC 18 - Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Mandatory Isolation), No. 3

July 1

End of the Deferral Period for the Payment of Duties and Taxes

July 3

Additional temporary service reductions at select Canadian ports of entry

Temporary reduction of service hours at additional land, air, and marine POEs in addition to deferring seasonal opening hours at select POEs. These COVID-19 related measures are temporary and in effect as of July 3, 2020 at 11:59 pm EDT. They will remain in effect until further notice.

The CBSA will proceed with the following temporary measures:

July 7

Resumption of Trade Compliance Work

The CBSA is resuming a full range of trade compliance work and adapting its practices to reflect the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. The CBSA is prioritizing actions where importers have indicated there is a willingness to advance their audit or verification, on compliance verifications or other interventions involving higher dollar amounts, files close to completion, and other important files.

July 8 

Customs Notice 20-24 - CBSA Reporting Patterns IT Limitations

This notice provides information on how to transmit high volumes of cargo reports. It is for the attention of carriers, freight forwarders, importers, brokers and service providers. To decrease the impacts caused by a high number of Advance Commercial Information (ACI) supplemental or electronic house bills per primary cargo, industry has been provided a list of recommendations.

July 14

Soft Launch of ArriveCAN Version 2.0 (Phase II)

This version includes features for travellers to complete a 48-hour check-in upon arrival into Canada, and submit voluntary symptom tracking throughout the 14-day quarantine period. While exempt travellers are not required to quarantine upon entry, they must now provide their contact information at the border, and are encouraged to use the application. Border Services Officers can now see a traveller’s response which would trigger a referral. 

July 20

National Launch of ArriveCAN Version 2.0 (Phase II)

July 20

OIC 19 – Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Prohibition of Entry into Canada from the United States)

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