These are CBSA officers (Canadian Border Service Agency). They have the power to accept you into the country, refuse you and send you back, or even detain you in case something seriously goes wrong during your interaction with them. Remember this, even if you are approved to enter Canada as a visitor, student, foreign worker, spouse of a Canadian who has been sponsored, confirmed PR, or even a Canadian PR cardholder, they have the power to refuse entry – no matter what. Obviously, this is only in extreme cases, but it does happen more than you think. They hold the ultimate power and are the first and last line of defense at the port of entry on behalf of the Canadian government.
1) If your English or French is not good, request a translator. You cannot halfway through your interview or conversation with them backtrack and say you didn’t understand what they said which is why you responded incorrectly.
2) Only answer what they have asked you. Do NOT provide any additional information or tell stories. Either Yes, No, or answer specific to their question – nothing more and nothing less.
3) The information you provide should match the documents you have and/or the previous border/immigration information on your file in the US/Canada. If they ask you when the last time you entered, exited, or were refused was at a US border, your response needs to match the factual records they have on their systems.
4) Do not argue with them and be nice/passive.
5) Cooperate fully and don’t hesitate when you are responding to their questions.
Here is the list of potential questions and documents that a CBSA officer may ask international students arriving in Canada to begin their studies. Some international students have been sent back home because they didn’t know how to properly respond to these questions and were unprepared.
1. Which school will you be studying in Canada? Answer: Make sure you know the answer and it matches your letter of the acceptance school name.
2. Which program are you enrolled in at this school? Answer: Make sure the name matches the program stated on your letter of acceptance. Don’t give details or a long story on this question.
3. What is the duration of your program in Canada? Answer: Make sure it matches your letter of acceptance.
4. A follow-up question to this would be: If it’s a 2-year program, what are you going to do to pay for your second year? Answer: DO NOT say “I will work in Canada as a student since I am allowed to do part-time work” – this is the wrong answer. You have to answer that your parents, family, or financial sponsor in your home country has income or savings, and they will send you money on a regular basis. They may have some follow-up questions on this and request documents.
5. Where are you staying? Another variation of this question: What is your address in Canada? Answer: If you already booked a hotel, apartment, Airbnb, or dorm please make sure you provide the document to them at this point and explain. If you’re staying with a family or relative, then have their address written down to show the officer and explain your relationship to them.
6. Who will be paying for your expenses here? Another variation of this question: Did you already pay your tuition fees? Answer: Please provide proof of payment to them if already paid. If only a minimum deposit was paid, please provide proof of funds for yourself, your family, or anyone else who is supporting you. Documents are the most powerful tool when being questioned by a CBSA officer.
7. What are you going to do after you finish the program? Answer: Please DO NOT answer “I want to work and apply for my PR in Canada” This is the worst answer you can give. Your answer here could be a variation of these ones depending on your actual case:
8. Why did you choose Canada to study? Answers:
Remember, during this whole time the CBSA officer will be testing your knowledge of English or French without you knowing. If you’re not here to go through a pathway program or language program, and you have a non-conditional letter of acceptance from a school and you cannot properly communicate in English or French, this will be a concern for the CBSA officer. This will lead to more questions and a potential refusal to enter Canada.
Another point to note is that if you do show an IELTS or TOEFL or TEF/TCF for French, and let’s say it’s an IELTS 5 or 6, and you cannot communicate properly in English then they may suspect that your exam score is fake or somebody else took it for you – which will also lead to refusal at the border in Canada.
Here is a list of documents they may request you to provide at the border:
They will require your IRCC study permit approval letter. This is mandatory and not optional
Letter of acceptance from the school in Canada
Proof of deposit to the school for your tuition (if not already paid in full for applicants in the Student Direct Stream)
Your IELTS or TOEFL or French Exam score if your Letter of Acceptance is non-conditional and there is a requirement to have received a minimum score to attend this program in Canada
Proof of financials or your GIC certificate if you’ve applied under the Student Direct Stream
Your Study Plan or Statement of Purpose
Any hotel/apartment / Airbnb confirmation / or address of your family/relatives where you will be staying at
Proof of your ties to your home country (especially with mature students)
Sometimes if they really become suspicious and you’re going to start a post-graduate level program, it would be a good idea to keep your undergraduate diploma or degree with you along with transcripts. These would be for extreme cases.
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