Traveling Abroad
The following is general information, not intended to be legal advice and is subject to change based on any number of factors including but not limited to changes in government regulations. You are strongly advised to consult with Human Resources on the particulars of your case and circumstances.
Yes, however when seeking to re-enter Canada, you must demonstrate to the border services officer (external link) that you meet all of the requirements (external link) before you can be granted entry.
You will need to travel with the necessary documents including:
- A valid passport or other travel documents
- a valid work permit (external link) or study permit (external link)
- a valid visitor visa (external link) or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) (external link)
Government of Canada: Traveling outside Canada and re-entering (external link)
If you applied for your permanent residence using one of the Economic class (external link) programs, you can leave and return to Canada as long as your current immigration status is valid (e.g. work permit or study permit).
If you are being sponsored by your spouse or common-law partner and have applied for your permanent residence using the sponsorship inland application from within Canada, you must remain in Canada while your application is being processed.
In some cases applicants for permanent residence apply for bridging work permits and must maintain their implied status due to pending applications and remain in Canada.
We strongly suggest to contact HR Immigration to determine whether or not your immigration status allows you to leave and return to Canada.
CBP Officers have a wide range of authority in making their assessment, including but not limited to:
- Asking questions about nationality, purpose of visit, intended length of stay, and anything else despite how offensive, intrusive, irrelevant, etc. the questions may seem to the individuals being asked
- Sending individuals to a secondary inspection. Sometimes this is to keep the line moving behind so that they can ask the individuals sent to secondary inspection some additional questions.
- Conducting a body search; wand search and a pat down are the more common forms for a body search
- Collecting fingerprints
- Conducting a search of individuals’ personal items including asking for your passwords
- Individuals can be confined without being put in prison
- U.S. citizens can also be detained however unlike foreign citizens, U.S. citizens can request an attorney
CBP Officers have a number of criteria that serve to determine admissibility.
Some of these include whether individuals have:
- a home, job, family, etc. to return to
- the resources to fund your trip abroad
- a clear reason for your travel
- a concrete expected date of return
In meeting these requirements, individuals may wish to consider:
- Taking documentation that provides evidence of the reason for the visit (e.g. conference and hotel registration if attending a conference)
- If visiting a family member, proof that the family member has a legal status in the country. (copy of their citizenship, a letter from them that they are expecting you, etc.). If visiting an ill family member, consider receiving a letter from their doctor.
- Ensure that the information provided is accurate and concrete.
If you are travelling with minors, Immigration authorities may ask for a birth certificate or any other documents to confirm that you are the parent.
If only one parent is accompanying a minor person, an officer may ask for a parental consent letter (external link) from another parent or any other documents that confirm full custody for the child.
It is highly advisable to check the immigration rules for visiting and transiting through countries when travelling with children.