Voice Reporting

• Individuals that are not detained and are subject to a removal order, examination or admissibility hearing
• Individuals that are in detention and considered for release
• Individuals that present a low risk of not appearing, as required
• Individuals that present a medium risk of not appearing as required and are also subject to other conditions such as a Deposit or Guarantee or supervision by the Community Case Management and Supervision service provider
• Individuals who would previously have been suitable for in person reporting to the CBSA
• Individuals that would benefit from maintaining a relationship with the CBSA during their immigration enforcement proceedings
• Individuals that have a phone number from a compatible Canadian cell phone provider. Currently the compatible providers are Rogers, Bell and Telus as well as the sub-brands of these providers
• Individuals that have a traditional landline phone service that can be used at only on physical address. Voice over IP and similar other types of phone services cannot be used

The Voice Reporting Program allows individuals to report to the CBSA via telephone using an automated system that confirms their identity using voice biometrics and records their location when calling in from a cellular phone. Individuals are enrolled at CBSA office where they record a pre-determined phrase five times to create a template of their voice. When calling in, individuals are guided by voice prompts to repeat the same phrase which is matched against the template created during enrolment. Individuals are required to call in on a regular schedule determined by the CBSA or the IRB. If calling from a cellular phone, the client’s location is provided to the CBSA by the cellular phone company and recorded at the time of the call, to maintain the integrity of the voice reporting program. Individuals are required to consent to the sharing of their location information prior to enrolling. The CBSA will investigate and take the appropriate action if individuals fail to call or attempted fraud is detected.

The Voice Reporting system is available at all Inland Enforcement offices in Canada. Ports of Entry that choose to refer individuals for enrollment in the Voice Reporting Program must make arrangements with their local Inland Enforcement office.

To provide individuals with a convenient method of reporting to the CBSA on a regular basis without requiring them to physically report to a CBSA office.

The Voice Reporting Program is available across Canada as of July 6, 2018.

Voice reporting is imposed in the same manner as in person reporting or any other condition under Sections 44, 56 or 58 of IRPA. Conditions can be imposed by either the CBSA or the IRB. Once the condition is imposed and the individual has a compatible cellular phone, enrollment takes place at a CBSA Inland Enforcement office. It is possible to enroll in the Voice Reporting Program at locations other than CBSA Inland Enforcement offices but special arrangements need to be made ahead of time to coordinate the enrolment with on officer at a CBSA Inland Enforcement office or the Alternatives to Detention Monitoring Centre.