The Security Screening Process for Canadian Immigration in 2023

Highlights:

1. The federal government of Canada requires all immigration applicants to go through a screening process.
2. This process will help the government stop people from entering the country who pose a threat to the country.

The government of Canada requires every immigration applicant to go through a thorough security screening to avoid allowing individuals to enter the country who can pose any threat to the country or the community.

The security screening process includes coordination between government bodies such as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Canada Border Services Agency, Immigration Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.

The government bodies will conduct a thorough screening before you enter the country. Given the recent rise in immigration fraud and terrorist activities in Canada, the government has become more cautious about the country’s safety.

The screening process takes place in three stages. These stages include

1. Criminal background checking: In this step, the Canadian Border Services Agency checks the background of a candidate to determine if the candidate is admissible to Canada or not. This includes the citizenship verification of a candidate, checking criminal background, etc. You need to provide a police clearance certificate to clear the step.
2. Biometric screening: In this step, the candidate is required to provide biometric details such as fingerprints and medical and health history to determine their background and health conditions before letting them into the country.
3. Document sharing: In this step, the other government bodies share their documents with IRCC to help it arrive at a decision based on the details found in the screening process.

The CSIS can stop an individual from entering the country under section 34 of the CSIS Act, which states that if an individual is found to be threatening the country under any of the following grounds,

• engaging in an act of espionage that is against Canada or that is contrary to Canada’s interests;
• engaging in or instigating the subversion by force of any government;
• engaging in an act of subversion against a democratic government, institution, or process as they are understood in Canada;
• engaging in terrorism;
• being a danger to the security of Canada;
• engaging in acts of violence that would or might endanger the lives or safety of persons in Canada; or
• being a member of an organization that there are reasonable grounds to believe engages, has engaged, or will engage in acts referred to above.

Section 14 of the CSIS Act allows this government body to gather information about security or any criminal activities relevant to any duty or function under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Section 15 of the CSIS Act also allows them to conduct investigations and provide security assessments. Together, these two sections allow CSIS to carry out security screening on immigration- applicants.

The Canadian Border Services Agency provides integrated border services that support national security and public safety priorities. CBSA also screens immigration applicants who are aged 18 or older for any criminal background or violation of immigration rules and regulations.

The IRCC works closely with these government bodies to decide the future of immigration applicants. Based on the investigations and reports provided by CSIS and CBSA, the IRCC makes its decision on whether to allow the candidate to enter the country or not.

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