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Entry Letter For Business Travel To Canada?

Entry Letter For Business Travel To Canada?

Old Nov 3, 2010, 8:29 am
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Question Entry Letter For Business Travel To Canada?

Hi All,

We're being told by our corporate travel agency that we need and "entry letter" for business travel to Canada. Not sure what this supposedly needs to say, but it would be from the company (I suspect it is somethign along the lines of "we'll pay his expenses and vouch for his character").

I cannot find any source other than our travel agency that indicates that this is a requirement. I would have thought that such a requirement would be well publicised. I am wondering whether our travel agency (Carlson Wagonlitt) is confused.

Anyone heard of this?

Thanks!
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 8:52 am
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Same From My Corporate Travel Agency

Hi
We got notification of this in mid-Oct. My understanding is this is not a new requirement, but is only now being routinely enforced. Don't know what we did to annoy our neighbors this time

"Enforcement of requirements



US Passport holders traveling to Canada for business, without a visa, are now being checked more frequently to verify that they possess letters from their US company regarding their business while in Canada. The policies are not new though the enforcement has increased for those requirements highlighted in red.

Documents needed at the Canadian border: http://www.cic.gc.ca/EnGLish/visit/b...-checklist.asp

*a passport or travel document that is valid for your entire stay and guarantees re-entry to your country of origin (suggested 3 months)
if applicable, a valid temporary resident visa
*letters of support from your parent company
The letter should include the following and it is recommended that the letter be on corporate letterhead:
Purpose of visit/reason
length of stay
Canadian contact name, address and phone number

*other documents such as warranty or service agreements, contracts, etc. if relevant to the visit
*24-hour contact details of your business host in Canada
*Proof that you have enough money for both your stay in Canada and your return home.


Per the Canadian Border Serviced Agency 10-12-10 -

It is recommended, though it isn’t law, that a letter with the above information also be included from the Canadian company the traveler is doing business with.
Canadian Border Service Agency can deny entry for not having the above requirements."
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 8:59 am
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I've regularly carried one. I got asked for it driving from Buffalo to Canada 4 years ago and didn't have it.

Mine says the company I work for, the company I'm going to with name/phone for a couple contacts, my qualifications, the nature of my visit, etc.

This is signed by the president of my company.

If anyone needs a sample of the one I use or my company's template just PM me.

Last edited by gj83; Nov 3, 2010 at 9:08 am
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 9:04 am
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Originally Posted by PresRDC
Hi All,

We're being told by our corporate travel agency that we need and "entry letter" for business travel to Canada. Not sure what this supposedly needs to say, but it would be from the company (I suspect it is somethign along the lines of "we'll pay his expenses and vouch for his character").

I cannot find any source other than our travel agency that indicates that this is a requirement. I would have thought that such a requirement would be well publicised. I am wondering whether our travel agency (Carlson Wagonlitt) is confused.

Anyone heard of this?

Thanks!
Yes.

I travel to Canada on business 2-3 times per year and in the current economic environment they are taking extra steps to verify that all business entry into Canada is acceptable. The rules are occasionally difficult, but generally, you can easily determine if you qualify. There are some like me, that do not plug nicely into their boxes so I have to get a Labor Market Opinion to enter into Canada on business and have to pay the $150CAD work permit fee at the border.

The system is maintained by Service Canada. The are generally nice and accommodating but they have their rules, so it is good learn them. If entering from the USA, the NAFTA exclusions will most likely qualify you. You will need Passport of course, Nexus is good. If you are moving across the border for a company you work for to work in a Canadian branch of the same company, the letter should state that and you may be asked to verify that you are an employee.

More complete rules are here for NAFTA and here for temporary workers. Call service Canada. They really do try to help. They even answer email and return calls fairly promptly.
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 9:05 am
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Originally Posted by ediemac1
Hi
We got notification of this in mid-Oct. My understanding is this is not a new requirement, but is only now being routinely enforced. Don't know what we did to annoy our neighbors this time
TSA
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 9:08 am
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It sounds like the travel management company is reacting to an issue that some US business visitors to Canada do have when Canadian immigration is trying to figure out whether or not the person is admissible without a visa or its equivalent to to do whatever business it is the person is to do while in Canada and may need to pay something or not.

Depending on what visitors say at the border and the documents they have with them, an officer may decide that more information is needed. If this happens, the visitor may be sent to “Secondary Processing” where he or she will be seen by an immigration officer.

.....

If there is a business relationship in place, your letter of invitation can explain the reasons for a visit and help prevent this from happening. Also, when the Canadian business provides 24-hour contact numbers, they can answer questions about the visit.

If, for example, the visitor is coming to service a piece of equipment as set out in a contract, he or she should bring a copy of the contract or bill that states that this work is covered.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/business-info.asp

Some professional services employees who are US citizens have had problems at the Canadian port of entry due to the nature of the "business" including non-permitted activities without a visa, its equivalent and/or fees.

This situation is not new and was happening even when the economies on both sides of the border were buzzing along. This remains an issue with US persons seeking entry into Canada since at least as long as there's been FT.

Last edited by GUWonder; Nov 3, 2010 at 9:17 am
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 9:12 am
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yyzvoyager can probably elaborate, but the point of it is to largely collect fees for the work permit.

In short, the law is set up to make sure that Canadians do not get screwed out of a job. And if you are to come and do work, that you pay the ~$150 work permit.

However, there are many exemptions for the work permit.

Having a copy of the contract (the best way) or a specific letter from the company, on the Canadian company's letterhead, signed by someone higher than the receptionist, usually suffices.

One of the exemptions from the work permit is whether the employer feels they have exhausted all options and cannot find a Canadian to do the job. You could argue that you are uniquely qualified through the international work that you do and have experience in many other situations, and that's the type of experience the Canadian company is looking for. And that nobody in Canada is able to match that.

A few other things:
- Fly into an airport, do NOT drive across if you have this uncertainty around you. The folks who fly into an airport are less likely to be turned around, whereas when you drive, it's easy to turn people around.
- Consider enrolling into the NEXUS program.
- CBSA agents are like NBA referees, the lower their number, the more experience they have. IF you have the opportunity, see if you can get an agent with a lower number on their chest. The numbers are into the six figures. 200000 and above are fairly new people, the lower you can go, the better the experience. If you have an option, look for an older person, that might increase your chances on a better outcome. But it also could just boil down to luck....some people are very nice, some can simply be a jerk.

Good luck.
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 9:17 am
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I should also mention that I am going to provide services already purchased from my company in a contract and I carry a copy of the contract. Recently driving from the US to Canada they have been more concerned with the actual contract.

My packet when I go to Canada:
print out of my itinerary with flights, hotel, and rental car (if applicable)
letter of introduction
contract for the client
agenda for my training session (since I am providing training)
I have all of this in a portfolio in my hand and only present anything when asked. I do, without being asked specifically, state that I am there on business to train on software that is ALREADY INSTALLED and I am not carrying anything to leave in the country.

Usually YYZ has just let me through, but for a while (back in 2008) I was sent to secondary every time. That person just wanted to see my hotel reservation.
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 9:17 am
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Originally Posted by ediemac1
Hi
We got notification of this in mid-Oct. My understanding is this is not a new requirement, but is only now being routinely enforced. Don't know what we did to annoy our neighbors this time
I was sent back from the border twice, I guess I am a slow learner. I had to fly back home and get new paperwork. I lost two weeks of work dealing with this. I had been entering Canada for years with the similar paperwork and letters that were suddenly no longer applicable.

I could not find out exactly what happened, but it seems to have started when at the first part of the current economic downturn, our CBP was sending back Canadians that had been regularly traveling to USA under the same exclusions, and the Canadians replied the way you suppose they would. I understand it is still bad for our Canadian friends coming this way as well.

It seems that the times I was caught the new rules were still being formulated, and from the posts here, it appears that they have been solidified.

When I asked if NAFTA had been changed, the answer was, of course, no, but that the interpretation of the rules was changing.
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 9:18 am
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Originally Posted by ediemac1
Don't know what we did to annoy our neighbors this time
@:-)

Demanding the installation of WBIs even if they violated Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

Demanding the shoe carnival for transborder flights even though Canada does not practice it for domestic or international flights?

Demanding SecureFlight data on passengers who have no intention of even landing in the US, but are simply flying from Canada to a third country?
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 11:08 am
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Originally Posted by LessO2
One of the exemptions from the work permit is whether the employer feels they have exhausted all options and cannot find a Canadian to do the job.
That's not true.

Following is a list of people who do not require a work permit (Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations):

Work Without a Permit

No permit required
186. A foreign national may work in Canada without a work permit
(a) as a business visitor to Canada within the meaning of section 187;
(b) as a foreign representative, if they are properly accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and are in Canada to carry out official duties as a diplomatic agent, consular officer, representative or official of a country other than Canada, of the United Nations or any of its agencies or of any international organization of which Canada is a member;
(c) if the foreign national is a family member of a foreign representative in Canada who is accredited with diplomatic status by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and that Department has stated in writing that it does not object to the foreign national working in Canada;
(d) as a member of the armed forces of a country that is a designated state for the purposes of the Visiting Forces Act, including a person who has been designated as a civilian component of those armed forces;
(e) as an officer of a foreign government sent, under an exchange agreement between Canada and one or more countries, to take up duties with a federal or provincial agency;
(f) if they are a full-time student, on the campus of the university or college at which they are a full-time student, for the period for which they hold a study permit to study at that university or college;
(g) as a performing artist appearing alone or in a group in an artistic performance — other than a performance that is primarily for a film production or a television or radio broadcast — or as a member of the staff of such a performing artist or group who is integral to the artistic performance, if
(i) they are part of a foreign production or group, or are a guest artist in a Canadian production or group, performing a time-limited engagement, and
(ii) they are not in an employment relationship with the organization or business in Canada that is contracting for their services, nor performing in a bar, restaurant or similar establishment;
(h) as a participant in sports activities or events, in Canada, either as an individual participant or as a member of a foreign-based team or Canadian amateur team;
(i) as an employee of a foreign news company for the purpose of reporting on events in Canada;
(j) as a guest speaker for the sole purpose of making a speech or delivering a paper at a dinner, graduation, convention or similar function, or as a commercial speaker or seminar leader delivering a seminar that lasts no longer than five days;
(k) as a member of the executive of a committee that is organizing a convention or meeting in Canada or as a member of the administrative support staff of such a committee;
(l) as a person who is responsible for assisting a congregation or group in the achievement of its spiritual goals and whose main duties are to preach doctrine, perform functions related to gatherings of the congregation or group or provide spiritual counselling;
(m) as a judge, referee or similar official at an international amateur sports competition, an international cultural or artistic event or competition or an animal or agricultural competition;
(n) as an examiner or evaluator of research proposals, academic projects or programs or university theses;
(o) as an expert who conducts surveys or analyses that are to be used as evidence before a federal or provincial regulatory body, a tribunal or a court of law or as an expert witness before such a body, tribunal or court of law;
(p) as a student in a health field, including as a medical elective or clinical clerk at a medical teaching institution in Canada, for the primary purpose of acquiring training, if they have written approval from the body that regulates that field;
(q) as a civil aviation inspector of a national aeronautical authority conducting inspections of the flight operation procedures or cabin safety of a commercial air carrier operating international flights;
(r) as an accredited representative or adviser participating in an aviation accident or incident investigation conducted under the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act;
(s) as a member of a crew who is employed by a foreign company aboard a means of transportation that
(i) is foreign-owned and not registered in Canada, and
(ii) is engaged primarily in international transportation;
(t) as a provider of emergency services, including medical services, for the protection or preservation of life or property; or
(u) until a decision is made on an application made by them under subsection 201(1), if they have remained in Canada after the expiry of their work permit and they have continued to comply with the conditions set out on the expired work permit, other than the expiry date.

Business visitors
187. (1) For the purposes of paragraph 186(a), a business visitor to Canada is a foreign national who is described in subsection (2) or who seeks to engage in international business activities in Canada without directly entering the Canadian labour market.

Specific cases
(2) The following foreign nationals are business visitors:
(a) foreign nationals purchasing Canadian goods or services for a foreign business or government, or receiving training or familiarization in respect of such goods or services;
(b) foreign nationals receiving or giving training within a Canadian parent or subsidiary of the corporation that employs them outside Canada, if any production of goods or services that results from the training is incidental; and
(c) foreign nationals representing a foreign business or government for the purpose of selling goods for that business or government, if the foreign national is not engaged in making sales to the general public in Canada.

Factors
(3) For the purpose of subsection (1), a foreign national seeks to engage in international business activities in Canada without directly entering the Canadian labour market only if
(a) the primary source of remuneration for the business activities is outside Canada; and
(b) the principal place of business and actual place of accrual of profits remain predominately outside Canada.
- CBSA agents are like NBA referees, the lower their number, the more experience they have. IF you have the opportunity, see if you can get an agent with a lower number on their chest. The numbers are into the six figures. 200000 and above are fairly new people, the lower you can go, the better the experience.
Entirely false.
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 12:01 pm
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yyzvoyager,

Those two things you quoted from my post are things that CBSA folks told me.
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 12:20 pm
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Like when dealing with US CBP, I prefer dealing with the CBSA employees with a longer employment history of working at the POEs. They tend to be the older men working CBSA.
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 12:27 pm
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Originally Posted by LessO2
yyzvoyager,

Those two things you quoted from my post are things that CBSA folks told me.
Well, now you have a second opinion.
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Old Nov 3, 2010, 12:47 pm
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Originally Posted by LessO2
yyzvoyager,

Those two things you quoted from my post are things that CBSA folks told me.
The badge number thing would make sense and would be the logical way of doing things, but it's not the way things seem to be done in reality. Many more senior officers have higher badge numbers. I assume this is partly a result of the integration of Canada Customs and certain functions of CIC and CFIA back in 2003.

As for the work permit thing, you were misinformed. What more can I say? If you talk to that officer in future, please tell him to brush up on his immigration regulations.
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