Customs & Immigration

The Canada Border Services Agency is the focus of an investigation by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner after a vehicle licence plate reader was subjected to a cyber attack in the U.S. this summer. Imagers of travellers and their vehicles had been collected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection with the Perceptics system which also is used by the CBSA. [node:read-more:link]

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has met other British opposition party leaders to discuss how to avert a “no deal” exit from the European Union. “All tactics available” were on the table to block Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan but Conservative Party Chairman James Cleverly says Corbyn offers “chaos, delay and uncertainty.” [node:read-more:link]

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “marginally more optimistic” about the prospects of a striking a deal with the European Union to take Britain out of the EU. His comments came as MPs from other parties prepared to meet to discuss how to block John’s “no deal” Brexit strategy. [node:read-more:link]

Billboards promoting the People's Party of Canada's stance on federal immigration policy are being taken down by Pattison Outdoor Advertising in response to widespread public criticism about a suggested ban on “mass immigration.” Critics said the advertising violated Pattison’s own code of conduct. [node:read-more:link]

A Canadian woman with scoliosis, a spinal deformity which can cause pain and fatigue, has been blocked from entering the U.S. after border officers found cannabidiol oil in her backpack. The woman, who uses the non-psychoactive cannabis constituent as an analgesic, is now awaiting the results of a re-entry application. [node:read-more:link]

French President Emmanuel Macron, playing host to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, says the results of Britain’s June 2016 referendum on European Union membership should be respected. But Macron says the prospect of a renewed hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland remains problematic. [node:read-more:link]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has challenged British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to come up with a new plan for taking the U.K. out of the European union, a plan which would alternatives to the Irish border issue. “Possibly, you might find the solution in 30 days, why not?” Merkel said. “Then we would be a step forward." [node:read-more:link]

The mother of Muslim convert “Jihadi Jack” has denied he posed a “danger” despite his threat to behead a group of young British soldiers on Facebook, and his online message that he "would love to perform a martyrdom operation" (messages she did not report to authorities). [node:read-more:link]

Canada will permit Venezuelans stranded in Canada without valid passports or other travel documents to remain in Canada for up to five years. Citizenship and Immigration Canada says Venezuela’s administrative meltdown in recent months has made it difficult for its consulates to renew expired documents while other Venezuelan expatriates with permanent resident status are finding their citizenship applications interrupted. [node:read-more:link]

Some public opinion polls suggest that many Canadians want immigration capped but Ahmed Hussen, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship counters that most Canadians also support bringing in skilled workers to fill labour gaps. He made the comments in welcoming an OECD report which calls Canada’s economic immigration system a global benchmark. [node:read-more:link]

Alejandro Giammattei, a conservative and former director of Guatemala’s prison system, has been elected to a four-year term as president. He captured 59 per cent of the vote compared with 41 per cent which went to centre-left candidate Sandra Torres. Giammattei has said he wants to amend his country’s immigration arrangement with the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Nine people have now been sentenced for their role in the single largest immigration scam in British Columbia, helping more than 1,600 immigrants become Canadian citizens or permanent residents through passport fraud and other misrepresentation offences. [node:read-more:link]