Canada’s Bold Move: Charging Travel Expenses for Inadmissible Returnees

Foreign nationals who decline or are incapable of covering their own travel expenses home after being refused entry in Canada will soon encounter increased financial penalties should they attempt to return.

As per Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) representatives, the fee structure has been revised for the first time since 1993 and will come into force this April.

Visitors classified as inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act will still be obligated to fund their own departure travel, although the Canadian government will persist in intervening when necessary and will assume the costs to guarantee swift deportation.

The reimbursement of travel expenses will rise significantly this spring without regard to the departee’s destination. In the past, inadmissible foreign nationals were mandated to pay around $1,500 upon their subsequent attempt to return to Canada. This fee is set to increase to just over $3,800 for those who exit the country unaccompanied and exceed $12,800 for those escorted by Canadian officials.

The CBSA states that expenses related to the removal of a person identified as inadmissible may encompass acquiring airline tickets, conducting removal interviews, securing travel documents, arranging removals, case management, partnership, and liaison activities.

“This revision in cost recovery for the expulsion of inadmissible foreign nationals promoted by the CBSA builds upon our strategy to enhance border security and our immigration framework,” Minister of Public Safety David J. McGuinty declared in a statement released on Friday.

“In recent months, we reinstated a Visa requirement for Mexican visitors, synchronized the hours of service at numerous ports of entry between Canada and the U.S., and terminated flagpoling for work and study permits at the border, which prevented 70,000 non-residents from entering the U.S. The security collaboration between Canada and the United States has ensured safety for individuals on both sides of the border for decades – and we will continuously seek ways to further reinforce it.”

The CBSA mentions that it recovers nearly $500,000 annually in removal costs from foreign nationals seeking to return. More than 14,000 inadmissible foreign nationals were deported from Canada within the first 10 months of 2024.