Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) officials are turning back many Nigerian and Indian visitors from airports as part of border control measures.
The Montreal airport refused entry to over 40 Indian visitors on Air Canada Flight No. AC-51 and asked them to return home.
Similar incidents are being reported by the Nigerian diaspora, with an affected individual in Canada reporting that a family friend came in and was harassed and sent back to Nigeria the next day.
Another person reports an incident on June 29 in which a person’s uncle was turned back with an option to file for refuge, and the cited reason was that this person didn’t come with his spouse.
In May, another incident occurred in which a person arrived in Montreal and forced all holders of tourist visas to apply for refugee status for approximately 12 hours.
Visitors were returning to their families for the second or third time.
However, this recently surfaced issue denies entry to genuine family members with approved visitor visas stamped on their passports.
“A visa is not an entry guarantee”
“It is important to note that a visitor visa or any other kind of visa on the nation’s passport is not a guarantee of entry to the country, according to Canadian law.”
“CBSA officials have the final say and can deny entry to foreign nationals if they find something fishy or not aligned with the purpose of the visit.
“However, a major factor of concern is that CBSA officials are offering individuals to file a refugee case after denying them entry.
“The country is already struggling to house refugees and manage the increasing number of international students applying for asylum, putting more stress on the system.
