IRCC Minister Transition Binder 2025-03

Canada-United States Relations

Overview

Advice to Government / For Canadian eyes only

• The United States (U.S.) has been Canada’s key international bilateral relationship, and close partner on migration and protection issues.
• IRCC has had a long-standing migration relationship with U.S. counterparts, with regular collaboration on policy and operational issues, and joint leadership in international fora.

This briefing is intended to:

Provide a current “state of play” in terms of the Canada-U.S. bilateral relationship, including an overview of key interlocuters.

Outline areas where Canada has taken recent actions to address key areas of shared concern with the U.S.

Highlight the current active files for engagement with the U.S, including issues that will require your decision and engagement in the near-term.

Overview – Setting the Scene

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Recent Canadian Actions – Canada’s Border Plan

Backed by an investment of CAD $1.3 billion and built around five pillars, the Border Plan is bolstering border security, strengthening our immigration system and contributing to ensuring Canada's future prosperity. [Redacted]

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Pillar 5: Minimizing Unnecessary Border Volumes.

• Completed: Implemented changes to end ‘flagpoling’ on December 23, 2024, when CBSA used regulatory authority to withdraw certain immigration services for flagpolers at the border.
• Flag poling is when a temporary resident leaves Canada and immediately returns to a port of entry to get immigration services. It uses significant resources at the border, distracts border officers from enforcement activities, and slows cross-border traffic.
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We are Already Seeing Significant Results:

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• Canada continues to do security screening of 100% of asylum seekers and high-risk visitors.
• Ended flagpoling, which freed up to 8 000 labour hours per year for U.S. Custom and Border Patrol (CBP).

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Key U.S. Political Interlocutors for IRCC

• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – IRCC’s most direct counterpart on visa policy, information sharing, asylum policy, migration policy (including irregular migration), enforcement and citizenship policy
  • [Redacted]: Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – [Redacted]
    • Agencies within DHS portfolio with whom IRCC collaborates:
      • Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) - immigration and naturalization applications, provision of asylum and refugee services, managing work permits and employment authorization and administering the U.S. naturalization process.
      • Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) - border security, customs enforcement, immigration control.
      • Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) - immigration law enforcement, investigating illegal immigration, human trafficking.

• Department of State – IRCC’s counterpart on refugee resettlement policy and operations (with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), multilateral engagement (including UNHCR and IOM), international treaty negotiation and support, and consular issues.
  • Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Department of State - [Redacted]
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• The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa
  • S. Ambassador to Canada: Nominee Pete Hoekstra
  • Marybeth Turner, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires

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