Canada Border Services Agency's 2024 to 2025 Departmental results report

In support of Canada's Border Plan, the CBSA combatted the cross-border movement of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals, with a particular focus on synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The Agency used an array of measures to intercept illegal substances at ports of entry, including targeting and intelligence development, enhanced controls at ports of entry, and enforcement tools and technology for the safe examination of goods suspected to contain highly toxic substances. The Agency collaborated with law enforcement partners and international counterparts by sharing intelligence and information to identify and interdict illicit shipments.

The CBSA also took steps to strengthen its regulatory framework by signing an agreement on the transfer and processing of Passenger Name Record data with the European Union. Once implemented, it will enhance traveller screening capabilities in order to better identify and interdict illicit goods and criminal activities, which will increase the Agency's ability to combat serious transnational crime in conjunction with security partners.

To combat the illegal importation of firearms, the CBSA collaborated with law enforcement partners through its National Firearms Intelligence Desk, National Targeting Centre, and specialized regional teams. These teams played a key role in sharing information with all regions and key partners in order to support firearm interdictions at ports of entry, some of which resulted in significant criminal enforcement outcomes as described in the border enforcement section of the report. The Agency also combatted gun and gang violence through enhancements to detection capabilities, including the expanded use of x-ray technology, as well as the continued operation of detector dog teams, specialized training, and increased availability of examination equipment.

The CBSA supported Canada's Border Plan and the Federal Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft by collaborating with port authorities, rail carriers and law enforcement partners to expand export examination capabilities, while also testing and evaluating technology options for the detection of stolen vehicles. The Agency is increasing its ability to develop and use intelligence products to identify containers of interest for stolen vehicles, while also enhancing intelligence sharing with law enforcement partners to help identify transnational organized crime groups and their members involved in stolen vehicle exports.

To address the threat of African swine fever, the CBSA continued working closely with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to prevent the importation of high-risk food, plant and animal products. These efforts included an ongoing public awareness campaign aimed at travellers and stakeholders in Canada and abroad, along with the deployment of detector dog teams specializing in the detection of food, plant and animal products.

The CBSA took further steps to enhance its Immigration National Security Screening Program in order to conduct comprehensive screening of visa applicants and asylum claimants, and to strengthen the identification of inadmissible persons seeking entry into Canada. The Agency also made progress on implementing asylum processing efficiencies, enhancing coordination and oversight with immigration security screening partners, and developing an improved case management system.

To combat human trafficking and fraudulent immigration consultants, the CBSA used its intelligence and enforcement capabilities to identify vulnerable persons and leads for criminal investigations. In collaboration with federal and international partners, the Agency continued intelligence-led operational initiatives to identify and interdict national security threat actors, such as those suspected of engaging in terrorism or espionage, who may be inadmissible to Canada pursuant to section 34 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

To protect the integrity of Canada's participation in international trade, the CBSA continued efforts to detect potential abuse of the customs process for the movement of illicit financial flows to and from Canada. The CBSA triages intelligence leads from a variety of sources, resulting in a number of intelligence assessments produced that identify a range of threats related to trade-based illicit financial flows. The Agency also works with domestic and international partners to identify instances of trade-based financial crime, including money laundering, and to refer them to the appropriate law enforcement entities.

The CBSA maintained effective border operations in the traveller stream, with a total of 92 million travellers processed in 2024 to 2025 across the land, air and marine modes.

Under its Traveller Modernization initiative, the CBSA is advancing plans to improve the safety and security of the border while providing Canadians and visitors to Canada with a better travel experience. Traveller Modernization will provide a digital platform where travellers can voluntarily submit customs, immigration and biometric identity information prior to arrival in Canada. It will also provide CBSA officers with a comprehensive view of traveller information in a single system so that they can process travellers more efficiently.

With legislative amendments having received Royal Assent, the CBSA is working on a suite of regulatory amendments that will establish the policy foundation for the integration of these new legislative provisions and associated new technologies to modernize border processing while maintaining border security. Privacy is at the forefront of Traveller Modernization through the Agency's ongoing engagement with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, along with work to amend legislation, regulations and policies to protect the privacy rights and freedoms of Canadians.

By facilitating the border experience for low-risk travellers using digital tools and biometric technologies, the CBSA will be better able to focus on higher-risk activities in keeping with its safety and security mandate.

The CBSA continued to use its Entry/Exit Program to collect exit data on outbound travellers, allowing the Agency to verify a more complete travel history to support decision-making and focus attention on individuals of higher or unknown risk.

The CBSA is developing its first land preclearance operation in a co-located facility in the United States through a low-risk, low-volume pilot to facilitate the flow of legitimate travellers and goods, and to identify inadmissible travellers prior to their arrival in Canada. This two-year pilot is planned to launch in the fall of 2025 at the Covey Hill/Cannon Corners border crossing between Quebec and New York State, and the findings of the pilot will inform Canada's preclearance expansion plans.

The CBSA maintained effective border operations in the commercial stream, with approximately 29.5 million commercial releases processed in 2024 to 2025 across the land, air and marine modes, as well as 146.8 million courier low-value shipments processed and $42.7 billion in duties and taxes assessed.

The CBSA continued to use its eManifest applications, which support commercial processing by streamlining risk assessment, examination results and data reporting capabilities. The Agency is expanding eManifest functionality to enable targeting officers and border services officers to process commercial shipments using a modern, integrated and user-friendly interface, which will lead to more efficient processing in all modes.

As part of its efforts to keep pace with the continual rise in e-commerce importation volumes, the CBSA has developed the E-Commerce Low-Value Inspection System, which is progressing toward a limited production release in 2025 to 2026. This will enhance risk targeting in the courier low-value shipment stream by using automation and analytics to intercept contraband. In addition, the Agency continued to work with the Canada Post Corporation to strengthen operations at international mail centres in order to manage postal volumes on a daily basis and during peak periods. This work is key to limiting the misuse of the postal stream as a means of importing contraband.

In response to a decision by the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and in light of increases in the importation of e-commerce goods, the Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1 passed an amendment to section 17 of the Customs Act to clarify liability for duties and taxes owing on such goods. Specifically, it clarifies that when commercial entities are identified as the importer of record through accounting documents, they share liability for duties and taxes owing with the importer or owner of those goods. The related Order in Council, which was published in October 2024, fixes January 1, 2026 as the date of implementation.

To improve commercial examination capacity in the marine mode, the CBSA continued efforts to equip its marine container examination facilities with enhanced imaging technology to inspect marine containers and large conveyances targeted for examination.

In support of Canada's global human rights efforts, the CBSA kept working closely with the Labour Program within Employment and Social Development Canada to identify and interdict goods that may have been produced by forced labour.

In October 2024, the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) became the official system of record for importers and other trade chain partners to assess and pay duties and taxes. The external launch of CARM is a major milestone for the CBSA in modernizing the processes required to assess, collect, manage and report revenue.

To guard against unfair trade practices, defend domestic producers, and protect Canadian jobs, the CBSA conducted a total of 11 anti-dumping and countervailing investigations in 2024 to 2025 through its administration of the Special Import Measures Act. These investigations are conducted in conjunction with the Canadian International Trade Tribunal's investigations into injury to Canadian industry caused by dumping and subsidizing. The CBSA also updated trade remedy measures to maintain their relevance and effectiveness amid evolving global market conditions, and investigated potential circumvention of Canada's trade remedy measures to maintain a level playing field for Canadian industries.

The bilateral NEXUS program between Canada and the United States supports communities and economic interests on both sides of the border by expediting the crossing of pre-screened travellers and allowing border officers to focus more attention on areas of higher risk. The CBSA has expanded application processing capacity to improve processing for current and prospective NEXUS members.

The CBSA's Trusted Trader programs simplify the border process for pre-approved, low-risk traders in order to facilitate the movement of cross-border trade. The Partners in Protection program allows the CBSA to work together with businesses to enhance border and trade chain security, while the Customs Self-Assessment program simplifies import requirements so that low-risk shipments can be processed quickly and efficiently at the border, saving businesses time and money.

The Recourse Program provides individuals and businesses with an accessible mechanism to seek an impartial review of CBSA decisions taken under border legislation, including the Customs Act, the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, the Agriculture and Agri-Food Monetary Penalties Act, and the Special Import Measures Act, as well as Trusted Traveller Program decisions.

The Recourse Program is also responsible for the management of the CBSA's public complaints mechanism. In October 2024, Bill C-20, An Act establishing the Public Complaints and Review Commission and amending certain Acts and statutory instruments, received Royal Assent. The Public Complaints and Review Commission will be the independent review body for both the CBSA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Commission will have the authority to investigate and review public complaints related to programs, policies and levels of service, as well as the conduct of CBSA employees. In addition, it will have the authority to initiate reviews of CBSA activities unrelated to national security and intelligence, and to review the Agency's responses to serious incidents. The CBSA's Public Complaints and External Reviews Division within its Recourse, Standards and Program Integrity Branch will support the new functions and responsibilities of the Commission.

The CBSA advanced its policy agenda across the commercial, trade and traveller streams, including through the development of budgetary, legislative and regulatory proposals to support the Agency's mandate. Key highlights for 2024 to 2025 include:

• Implementing reciprocal surtaxes on a range of industrial and manufactured goods in response to unilateral tariffs by the United States.
• Pursuing regulatory amendments allowing the CBSA to have consistent access to timely and accurate advance electronic data for goods imported through the Courier Low Value Shipment program in order to identify and address health, safety, security and revenue risks associated with goods arriving in courier shipments.
• Pursuing legislative amendments to the Customs Act to strengthen border enforcement by requiring appropriate facilities to be provided to CBSA officers for the purpose of conducting examinations of export goods.
• Pursuing legislative amendments to strengthen the CBSA's ability to further investigate and bring forward charges involving border-related drug offences in order to combat organized crime groups.
• Pursuing investments to enhance detection and examination capabilities across all modes and to increase the CBSA's capacity to examine and interdict synthetic illicit drugs, precursor chemicals, and illegal firearms.
• Pursuing legislative amendments to the Customs Act to address longstanding security risks and obstacles to efficient trade at Canada's major marine ports by requiring high-risk shipping containers targeted by the CBSA to be presented for examination in a timely and consistent manner.
• Pursuing regulatory amendments to clarify value for duty calculations on imported goods in order to address existing regulatory gaps that unduly benefit businesses located outside of Canada.
• Creating a dedicated Market Watch Unit to monitor and support the update of trade remedy measures, thereby protecting Canadian workers and businesses from unfair trade practices and supporting greater transparency and market predictability.
• Developing legislative and regulatory amendments under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) Terrorist Financing Act to introduce new authorities, in force as of April 1, 2025, enhancing the CBSA's ability to detect and disrupt cross-border movements of illicit financial flows through international trade. The CBSA also took steps to operationalize those authorities by creating a new cadre of regulatory investigators and establishing a Trade Transparency Unit to address the threat posed by trade-based illicit financial flows, including proceeds of crime, terrorist financing, and sanctions evasion.

Additionally, the CBSA advanced initiatives in relation to the following:

• Frontline workforce: The CBSA took steps to improve frontline recruitment and retention efforts through a recruitment strategy in support of Agency priorities and workforce renewal. The Agency is focused on maintaining a high-performing, adaptable and diverse workforce that is representative of the population it serves, while also focusing frontline recruitment efforts on key groups such as veterans, student border services officers, and persons with a priority entitlement as per the Public Service Commission. The Agency is working to better align the placement of recruits with its operational needs and official language requirements.
• Border infrastructure: As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen border infrastructure, the CBSA significantly advanced preparations for the opening of the Canadian port of entry at the Gordie Howe International Bridge. This includes nearly completing the installation of furniture, fixtures, specialized equipment and detection technology, as well as hiring 80% of the staff required to operate the port of entry. Concurrently, the Agency advanced the Land Border Crossing Project, which seeks to rebuild multiple land ports of entry over several years, with the following achievements in 2024 to 2025:
  • Fully delivered an additional two ports of entry at Bloomfield (New Brunswick) and Sainte-Aurélie (Quebec), and initiated major construction at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle port of entry, which is Quebec's busiest land border crossing.
  • Initiated planning and design procurements for Pacific Highway (British Columbia), St-Armand (Quebec), Pleasant Camp (British Columbia), Paterson (British Columbia), Wild Horse (Alberta), Regway (Manitoba), Sprague (Manitoba), and St-Léonard (New Brunswick).
• Indigenous reconciliation: Guided by its Indigenous Framework and Strategy, the CBSA continues to be a leading organization that engages, cooperates and partners with Indigenous Peoples in providing integrated border services that support national security and public safety priorities, while also facilitating the free flow of admissible people and goods. Key highlights for 2024 to 2025 include:
  • Supporting the full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and, more specifically, Action Plan Measure Shared Priority 52 to address complex border crossing and migration challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples divided by Canada's international borders.
  • Working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to implement temporary measures to reunite families of Indigenous people separated by Canada's border. These efforts improve cross-border mobility and family reunification for Indigenous people separated by the Canada/United States border.
  • Strengthening relationships with Indigenous partners by taking a Nation-to-Nation approach, including the establishment of a technical table focusing on safety and security, as part of the Jay Treaty Border Alliance Collaboration Initiative.
  • Implementing the recommendations of the Minister's Special Representative's Report on First Nation Border Crossing Issues to uphold the honour of the Crown by respecting modern treaty obligations and rights under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 through consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples.
  • Implementing the recommendations of the Many Voices, One Mind report, with monitoring and reporting on progress to address the barriers facing Indigenous employees. The CBSA has established working circles that are structured to provide insights between program areas and Indigenous employees in relation to the five pillars of Many Voices, One Mind: recruitment and retention; cultural competency; learning and development; talent management; and creating safe space.
    • For example, in February 2025, the CBSA's National Officer Recruitment Program created an Indigenous Engagement Working Forum to aid in addressing barriers facing Indigenous people, encompassing outreach efforts, the officer trainee selection process, and the officer induction training and officer induction development programs.
    • In addition, the CBSA continued to deliver its Indigenous Candidate Mentorship Program, which is designed to connect self-declared Indigenous candidates with Indigenous employee mentors offering personalized support and guidance throughout the officer trainee selection process, ultimately improving their hiring experience and overall success rate.

The CBSA continued to focus its inland investigative resources on high-risk immigration cases, with the highest priorities being national security, criminality, organized crime, and human and international rights violations. The Agency's immigration enforcement operations were supported by its warrant management strategy, with a focus on serious inadmissibility warrant cases.

The CBSA continued to enforce the designation of the Iranian regime, whereby senior officials who have served in this regime are rendered inadmissible to Canada. The role of the Agency is to investigate individuals in Canada who have served in the Iranian regime and refer them to the Immigration and Refugee Board for admissibility hearings.

Building on its National Immigration Detention Framework, the CBSA continued to use detention as a measure of last resort, only after CBSA officers considered all available alternatives to detention, the specific factors of the case, any potential impacts of release, and other relevant considerations. Other considerations could include whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that a foreign national or permanent resident is a danger to the public or unlikely to appear for immigration proceedings. Founded on consistent, risk-based decisions, alternatives to detention are used for individuals whose risk can be appropriately mitigated while being released into the community. Additionally, the Agency's ongoing engagement with the Canadian Red Cross provides documented detention monitoring services in cases where detention is required. These initiatives strive to ensure that detainees who are not suitable for release into the community are housed in the CBSA's immigration holding centres or other appropriate facilities, and are treated in accordance with applicable domestic and international obligations.

The CBSA continued to support the effective management of its hearings-related activities through the development of updated training materials and guidelines with regard to hearings before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. The Agency also continued to support efficient triage of refugee claims in collaboration with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada through the Integrated Claim Analysis Centre in the Greater Toronto Area.

The CBSA continued to effect removals based on a robust risk management regime. Serious inadmissibility cases (i.e., those involving national security, criminality, organized crime, and/or human rights violations) are considered the highest priority for the safety and security of Canada and its citizens, along with irregular migrant failed refugee claimants due to their impact on program integrity and Canada's asylum system. Failed refugee claimants that entered Canada through designated ports of entry are the next priority, followed by all other inadmissible persons. Cases are triaged based on priorities and assigned without delay to support timely removals.

The CBSA kept working with federal partners to address challenges in obtaining required travel documents from countries that may be uncooperative with removal operations, as this remains the most common impediment to removal. The Agency also continued to encourage voluntary removals and continued to operate its Removals Help Line allowing foreign nationals to call in with program-related questions or case-specific enquiries.

The CBSA maintained its focus on investigating and prosecuting people and businesses that violate Canada's border-related legislation, with an emphasis on complex cases of fraud involving individuals and organizations posing a threat to Canada's immigration system, economy and communities. In collaboration with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, the CBSA is working to strengthen the governance and enforcement framework applicable to those who offer consultant services to persons seeking to enter or remain in Canada. Other operational priorities are primarily focused on cases of fraud by organizers and facilitators of serious immigration offences, including human smuggling, employment fraud, and offences involving immigration consultants, as well as serious customs offences, including trade fraud, trade-based money laundering, and firearms and weapons smuggling.

The CBSA's interdictions of contraband at the border are often informed by its Intelligence Program and regularly lead to criminal enforcement outcomes. For example, in June 2024, CBSA Intelligence referred an individual for a secondary examination where a loaded firearm magazine and a stolen AR-style rifle were found, resulting in weapons-related convictions. Another case in June 2024 involved a firearms smuggling attempt by an individual where prohibited devices were seized and multiple charges were laid under the Customs Act and Criminal Code, leading to a three-year incarceration.

Under its policy agenda, the CBSA advanced an array of initiatives geared toward immigration facilitation and balanced enforcement through legislative, regulatory and policy work to support public safety, immigration facilitation, and program integrity objectives. Key highlights for 2024 to 2025 include:

• Publishing final regulatory amendments to allow a Minister's Delegate to issue a removal order directly at a port of entry for straightforward transborder criminal offences, such as carrying a concealed weapon, smuggling drugs, or the unauthorized possession of a firearm.
• Pursuing the expansion of officer authorities to issue removal orders for straightforward inadmissibility cases in order to minimize the need for referral of such cases into Canada for admissibility hearings, as this can be a relatively costly and time-consuming process.
• Supporting Bill C-70, An Act respecting countering foreign interference, which received Royal Assent in June 2024, thereby expanding the grounds upon which information used in immigration enforcement proceedings can be protected from disclosure.
• Publishing initial updates to the regulations governing Ministerial Relief requests related to serious inadmissibility grounds in order to improve the application process and better account for an applicant's compliance history with immigration laws.
• Revising the CBSA's cost recovery framework to realign various fees and charges with present-day operational costs, and to promote greater compliance with CBSA requirements.

In support of the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, the CBSA continued efforts to assess the impacts of gender-based violence, including human trafficking, throughout its immigration enforcement and inadmissibility policy frameworks. Legislative and regulatory policy proposals are under development to address identified gaps, which will be subject to governmental and parliamentary approvals. The goal is to improve existing immigration enforcement and inadmissibility policies to account for specific considerations relating to people who have experienced human trafficking and gender-based violence, and to avoid inadvertently re-traumatizing victims and survivors.

The CBSA continued to support immigration measures for those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while also working with federal partners to enforce sanctions in response to the Russian invasion and commission of human rights violations.