Admissibility to Canada

The Government of Canada is working to improve the visa process and modernize programs by centralizing more of its overseas processing in Canada. Overseas visa screening is a key tool in preventing entry of individuals who may pose a threat to the safety and security of Canadians, and to maintain program integrity of the immigration and refugee systems.

Canada has specific requirements for who can and cannot enter Canada and the type of identification they require.  The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is vigilant in determining the admissibility of individuals by verifying identification and checking for violations of Canadian law.  The CBSA also manages the “Wanted by the CBSA program” to enlist the help of the public in identifying particular individuals to execute the warrants for their removal.

In 2010, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, in consultation with the CBSA and other federal partners, launched a review of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act's inadmissibility and related provisions to ensure that immigration and border officials continue to have the tools necessary to maintain the integrity of Canada's immigration system. The review also examined a number of recurrent issues that have surfaced since the implementation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in 2002.

As a result of the review, legislative changes were proposed in the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act to make it easier to remove dangerous foreign criminals and make it harder for those who pose a risk to Canadians to come to the country, while removing barriers for genuine visitors.

The Government also manages the War Crimes Program which seeks to deny war criminals and officials from designated regimes safe haven in Canada through visa screening, exclusions from the refugee process, citizenship revocation, removal from Canada, criminal investigations and prosecutions.

Date modified:

2015-12-01