Canada tightens asylum route from French territory off Newfoundland
Starting June 4, travelers from Saint-Pierre-Miquelon by ferry now need an electronic travel authorization—a $7 permit previously used mainly for air arrivals.
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Canada is cracking down on asylum claims from travelers arriving by ferry from Saint-Pierre-Miquelon, a French archipelago 19 kilometres off Newfoundland's coast.
On June 4, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced it would require those arriving from the territory by boat to obtain an electronic travel authorization (eTA), a $7 pre-screening permit that was previously used mostly for people flying to Canada.
The federal department said it has "noticed an emerging trend of ineligible asylum claimants using this route" but declined to disclose numbers, citing privacy concerns. "Canadian officials observed that some foreign nationals who would otherwise require an eTA were attempting to bypass Canada's immigration and border screening processes, by travelling first to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and then seeking entry to Canada by boat," wrote department spokesman Anahita Beladi.
The ferry links Fortune, Newfoundland and Labrador to the French territory. Roughly 6,000 visa-exempt foreign nationals take the route each year. The eTA is a pre-screening tool designed to prevent criminals, people with active tuberculosis, and some asylum claimants from reaching a border guard. Those approved can board and be interviewed on arrival by the Canada Border Services Agency.
Canadians, permanent residents, and Americans never need an eTA. IRCC is exempting French citizens living on the archipelago, as well as seafarers, fishers, and cruise ship passengers.
The federal government would not specify how many asylum claimants had arrived at Fortune or their nationalities, citing ongoing border security efforts.