FlyerAl, I don't think they do. I'm pretty sure it's Immigration first (white shirts, where they ask questions and check your documents), then customs (blue shirts, where they take the card and sometimes ask questions). And there usually isn't a separate line for customs.

Now why we can't put immigration first and then customs, is another question.

andrew

You're correct, Andrew. The first line is an immigration check (although I think it's the case that customs officers do double duty in Canada, serving as both a preliminary customs and immigration screening). After you've gone through PIL you flash your card to someone who may refer you to secondary for immigration and then you show the same card to the customs officer on the way out of the baggage hall. Never had to go to immigration secondary, so I have no idea if they use a different code on the card for that.



[This message has been edited by Academic (edited 04-29-2001).]

We don't put immigration first, because our visa system is more stringent than the American's. For example, we don't issue 10 year multi-entry visitor visas. So when people show up, they are less likely to pose an immigration risk.

However, customs has the potential for serious mischief. And it is Canadians who present the biggest risk (and Canadians who should be subjected to higher levels of scrutiny, accordingly).

But what about Canada's illegal refugee problem? Or the terrorist organizations basing themselves in Canadian cities? Shouldn't customs be focused on inspecting these situations more than inspecting the average Canadian who travels down south for a 1 week vacation?

[This message has been edited by FlyerAl (edited 04-29-2001).]

Regarding the "priority baggage" at YYZ. I arrived from LHR on AC, my bags had been tagged with the snazzy dayglo identifier.

When I arrived at the baggage carousel, all the priority bags had been neatly arranged on the floor beside the carousel, while all the "regular" bags remained on the carousel.

I am presently in the snow in YTT.
I watched the belt and about 80% of PRIORITY tagged luggage arrived in the last batch. It really is hit and miss.

I am presently in the domestic MLL in YYZ, waiting to see if my priority-tagged bag will come in on the next flight from YGK so I can carry it through US customs and immigration and continue onto MIA. My flight from YGK bulked-out, and some bags were left behind.

Should still make my scheduled flight, but I was hoping to stand-by for an earlier one.

Actually Canadian Customs inspectors have many roles at PIL. They are Customs officers, immigration officers and screen for other agencies such as Canadian Food Inspection Agency etc... The PIL officer is the one who usually does the referral and codes the card. Referral is also possible at other points in the system. Customs at Land Borders tried to have seperate lanes for Canadians but this largely failed as well you guessed it our foreign friends didn't usually pay much attention to which line they were using.

FlyerAl:

How many illegal refugees have you seen de-plane?

As if the other posts on this topic haven't covered it well enough, *Customs* doesn't deal with illegal refugees, or refugees at all (one wonders how that adjective seems to turn up everywhere, despite any tribunal's finding).

Immigration does. Andrew Webber actually has a good suggestion (one that is operationally in practice already) of putting Immigration first. Next time you clear yourself and goods for entry to Canada, think about which questions are asked first (normal order is citizenship, residency, purchases/gifts). A bass-ackwards questioning, however, would ask Canadian residents whether or not they were bringing in any gifts worth more than $60CAD, a question better suited for non-residents.

As for wild conspiracy theories of vast legions of terrorist organizations basing themselves out of Canadian cities...what makes you so confident that these terrorists were more likely born abroad than in Canada?

(Weren't we talking about something entirely different, anyway? Right, priority tags. Let's put dayglo priority tags on all Canadian citizens and regular-coloured ones on landed immigrants. Anyone with a Minister's permit, employment authorization or student authorization gets a regular tag. Those travellers not falling into these two categories will be beaten until they confess.)