New fees introduced for inadmissible travellers to Canada

People who attempt to enter Canada when deemed inadmissible will face new fees.

The Canada Border Services Agency has a legal obligation to remove all foreign nationals who are inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

There are many reasons why a person could be deemed inadmissible including people with criminal records, human or international rights violations, or medical reasons such as a danger to public health.

From Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, 2024, the CBSA removed over 14,000 inadmissible foreign nationals.

On Friday, the CBSA announced a new measure to reduce the cost burden of removing inadmissible people from the country.

The CBSA will increase the fees that individuals will have to pay if they want to return to Canada.

Individuals being removed from Canada are required to pay for their own travel costs.

But in situations where the inadmissible person is unable or unwilling to pay, the CBSA covers the cost to ensure that they are removed in a timely manner.

Costs are recovered by the Government of Canada when an individual who was removed at the government’s expense seeks to return to Canada.

Under the new cost recovery framework, the fees will be adjusted from approximately $1,500 previously to just over $12,800 for escorted removals and just over $3,800 for unescorted removals, regardless of the destination.

The fees are more in line with the current costs of removals and encourages voluntary compliance with removal orders, the CBSA said.

This new measure will come into effect in April 2025.

For more information, see the announcement here.