Canada Immigration Questions
Are you seeking answers to your questions about immigration to Canada?
When you immigrate to Canada, there will be two brief interviews with a Canadian immigration officer at the port of entry.
The first interview with the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) officer will be in order to review your documents.
During the second interview, the CBSA officer will ask questions about what you brought with you to Canada.
Knowing what types of Canada immigration questions will be asked could help you to prepare in advance and have a smooth interview experience, so keep reading to learn more!
Table of Contents
Question 1: May I see your travel documents?
After the CBSA officer greets you at the port of entry (usually an international airport terminal), he or she will ask to see your passport and other travel documents, as well as the passport(s) and travel documents of your accompanying family members.
The official travel documents the CBSA officer could check may include your:
- Valid Passport
- Valid Canadian Permanent Resident Visa
- Valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR)
It is important to know that a new Canadian permanent resident must initially enter Canada while his or her COPR is still valid.
The COPR is normally valid for up to 12 months, but it can expire earlier when your medical exam results expire or when your passport expires.
This is why the medical exam is usually done at the end of the Canadian immigration procedure and why an immigrant should make sure his or her passport will be valid for at least 12 months after the required medical exam takes place.
Question 2: How is your health?
After checking your travel documents to make sure everything is in order, the CBSA officer may at some point inquire about your health and any medical conditions you might have.
The CBSA officer will also ask about the health or medical conditions of all family members who immigrate to Canada with you.
Questions are asked about each family member’s health and any medical conditions to make sure no one is medically inadmissible.
A person can be medically inadmissible to enter Canada for any of three major reasons:
- Excessive demand on medical or social services
- Danger to public health
- Danger to public safety
Whether a new immigrant is deemed medically inadmissible will be based on the Canadian immigration medical exam results.
Question 3: Were you ever convicted of a crime?
The CBSA officer will ask if you or your accompanying family members have been convicted of a crime outside or inside of Canada.
This question is asked by the CBSA officer to determine if the new immigrant is criminally inadmissible.
Whether a new immigrant is deemed criminally inadmissible will be determined by the CBSA or Canadian immigration officer.
Question 4: How much money did you bring with you to Canada?
You will be asked by the CBSA officer how much money you brought with you to Canada.
If you brought with you to Canada cash or other financial instruments (for example, treasury bills, stocks, bonds, etc.) valued at $10,000 Canadian Dollars (CAD) or more, you must declare it to the CBSA officer at the port of entry.
According to the CBSA website, there are no restrictions on the amount of cash or other financial instruments someone can bring to Canada, but he or she must declare it when the value is $10,000 CAD or higher.
The CBSA officer may also ask to see your “proof of funds” (such as an official letter from a bank where you have funds deposited in an account, travelers’ cheques, etc.) to confirm that you have enough financial resources readily available to support yourself and your family after arriving in Canada.
Question 5: Have you traveled to Canada before?
The CBSA officer may ask you if you traveled to Canada in the past and for what purpose.
You may also be asked if you were required to depart Canada (for example, if you overstayed your Canadian visa and/or were deported).
Question 6: What are you bringing with you to Canada?
During the second interview, the CBSA officer will ask what you brought with you to Canada.
This general question may be followed by specific questions about what you brought such as:
- Did you bring any animals with you?
- Did you bring cannabis or other drugs or medications with you?
- Did you bring any plants with you?
- Did you bring any vegetables or fruit with you?
- Did you bring any dairy or meat products with you?
- Did you bring any endangered species or anything made from endangered species with you?
- Did you bring any firearms or ammunition with you?
- Did you bring fireworks or other types of explosives with you?
These questions are asked because there are certain things that cannot be brought to Canada.
It is important before you immigrate to Canada to learn what can and cannot be brought into the country, as well as what must be declared, so you can avoid unnecessary problems at the port of entry.
Conclusion
The last step of the Canadian immigration process involves two brief interviews with the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) officers at the port of entry (such as a Canadian airport terminal), after which the final decision will be made regarding entry into Canada.
Some of these questions were already asked on forms during the Canadian immigration process, but now the CBSA officers are reviewing the physical documents to confirm the information that the immigrant provided earlier.
Other interview questions are related to what the new immigrant brought (or didn’t bring) to Canada.
The interviews are usually brief and are straight forward, so adequate preparation should help everything to go as smoothly as possible.
Adequate preparation includes knowing how to answer the common interview questions and knowing what not to bring to Canada, as well as what to declare when you arrive.
It is very important for the immigrant to answer the interview questions truthfully, because making false statements is a serious violation of the law and could also result in being required to leave Canada.
Of course, before the Canadian immigration interview can occur, an individual must apply and be approved for immigration to Canada.
Over 400,000 people are approved for immigration to Canada each year through various Canadian immigration programs.
Most people who immigrate to Canada are skilled foreign workers and their family members.
How can you know which Canadian immigration program you are eligible to apply for?
Since 2012, the Canadian Visa Expert team has been working with a team of authorized immigration consultants who can evaluate your eligibility for immigration to Canada and guide you through the application process if you qualify.
Discover Frequently Asked Questions from Our Support
What questions do Canadian immigration officers ask?
Canadian immigration officers ask interview questions to confirm information related to the individual’s identity and approval for immigration to Canada, as well as to check what he or she is bringing into the country. Therefore, Canadian immigration officers will generally ask to see official travel documents, proof of funds and other supporting documentation. They will ask questions to make sure an immigrant is not medically inadmissible or criminally inadmissible to enter Canada. The Canadian immigration officer will also ask several questions to make sure an immigrant is not bringing prohibited items into Canada and that they have made any required declarations.
How to answer Canada interview questions?
The best way to answer Canada interview questions is with honest and brief responses. It may be easier to answer Canada interview questions by preparing brief responses to the common interview questions in advance and having all of the supporting documents with you at the port of entry. Always answer Canada interview questions truthfully, because it is a major violation of the law to make false statements and it could result in being required to depart Canada.
What types of Canada immigration interview questions are asked?
Examples of the types of Canada immigration interview questions that are asked could include: May I see your passport? May I see your Certificate of Permanent Residency (COPR)? Are any family members traveling with you? Do you have any medical conditions? Have you ever been convicted of a crime? How much money did you bring with you to Canada? Have you traveled to Canada in the past? Did you bring any plants or animals with you? Did you bring any firearms or ammunition with you? Did you bring cannabis, other drugs or medications with you?
