Tens of thousands of Canadian Immigrants will be affected by new American security measures
New Canadians born in 14 select countries will be subjected to increased special screening when entering into the United States, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced on Sunday, January 3rd.
The countries are:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Toronto-area MP Jim Karygiannis told the Globe and Mail this week that there are close to one million people living in Canada who hail from the countries on the list.
The new measures are in place for those not only traveling from those countries, but also those who have dual citizenship there and Canadian landed immigrants from those countries, no matter how long they have lived in Canada! By “increased screening”, those affected can expect delays, questioning, manual pat-downs and searches of carry-on luggage when traveling to the US. According to Transport Canada, the Canadian government is also contemplating incorporating these ideas into their own security procedures.
Along with these new rules, over the next two months nine Canadian airports will start incorporating full-body scanners, and both the Dutch and British governments have come forward and said they will begin using the machines as well.
Many of the new regulations that are coming out with increasing frequency in the past few weeks are confusing, unclear, invasive and can be considered profiling.
We will be reporting on any updates to security measures as they come, and if you have experienced problems entering the US or are in need of assistance Call us 1-877-296-0874 or email us info@visaplace.com.
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
