Operational Bulletin 190 – March 12, 2010

Unreliable Travel Documents

Background

The lack or inconsistent use of security features on travel documents (e.g. passports), as well as concerns with the process to produce and issue travel documents, can result in situations in which a document is considered insufficiently resistant to counterfeiting and fraudulent use. Such documents threaten the safety and security of Canadians as well as the integrity of the immigration system. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) have been amended so that the Minister may designate certain travel documents as unreliable.

As a result of these regulatory changes, CIC will now be maintaining a public list identifying unreliable travel documents that do not meet the requirements of subsections R50(1) or R52(1) of the IRPR.

The initial list of unreliable travel documents consolidates previous Regulations and Ministerial Instructions. There are no new unreliable travel documents identified at this time.

The following are not considered travel documents for the purposes of subsections R50(1) or R52(1):

• Any passport purporting to have been issued by Somalia;
• Non-machine readable passports issued by the Czech Republic;
• Temporary Passports issued by the Republic of South Africa; and
• Provisional Passports issued by Venezuela.

Procedures

The list of unreliable travel documents is now maintained at www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/apply-who.asp. Processing officers should continue to consult this site regularly as the list may be updated.

Processing officers should also continue to consult OP 16/ENF 32/IP 12 for passports and travel documents that are not considered travel documents for the purposes of subsections R50(1) or R52(1) as Canada has not officially recognized the issuing country or entity. Examples of these travel documents include “fantasy passports” as well as:

• Any passport or identity or travel document purporting to have been issued by Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei or Venda;
• Any passport or identity or travel document purporting to have been issued by the All Palestine Government; or
• Any passport that was issued by the Government of the United Kingdom and is entitled “British Visitor’s Passport”.

If a temporary resident application or permanent resident application is submitted with a travel document that has been designated as unreliable, the travel document requirements of R50(1) or R52(1) are not met and the application is not complete. The applicant should be advised to provide an acceptable travel document.

For greater clarity, unreliable travel documents must not be accepted for file creation or processing, and visa counterfoils must not be affixed to them.