As reported by the CBC, following the U.S. travel ban on residents from six Muslim countries, the Girl Guides of Canada will no longer authorize trips to the United States because this ban impacts citizens of other countries, including Canada.
Alberta@Noon spoke to Calgary immigration lawyer Evelyn Ackah about current cross-border issues and asked her expert advice on what Canadians need to know if planning travel to the United States.
Watch: Immigration Expert Evelyn Ackah talks to Alberta@Noon on Facebook LIVE:
Following are some quotes from Evelyn's interview:
- It is reasonable that they (border officers) could turn away a young Canadian Girl Guide who was born in one of those 6 countries that have been named.
- The officers have significant discretion as to who they let in and what they consider the risk to be to their entrance to the U.S., and how they interpret the executive order.
- It's all about who you get and the amount of discretion they have. Some border crossing and borders are better than others. As an immigration lawyer for 20 years I have to advise my clients to use the ones that my experience have shown me to be more flexible and less dogmatic.
- Some Canadians even get asked, 'Why do you want to come to take jobs from Americans?' when they're coming in to enter for business visitor purposes.
- As Canadian citizens we are actually getting a Visa, what I call a virtual visa, the tourist visa: B-2. One of the main reasons people get refused is inadmissibility - if there's history of criminality, or there's a medical reason, someone who looks very ill.
- They have full discretion to refuse if they feel that they're not the right person, or that they're a risk, they can turn you right around.
- There is a risk. We have to wait and see how border officials at the ports of entry are interpreting the 2nd executive order.
- This order is supposed to be only for three months. We'll see what happens. I believe this might end up being more permanent than short-term.
