Canada: Information on the security and documentation checkpoints, including immigration and customs checks, that international arrivals are subject to at Pearson International Airport (Toronto)

The following information was provided by the Superintendent, Security Systems of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (Pearson) in a 4 April 1997 telephone interview.

When passengers board an international flight they must undergo a series of internationally-standardized security and documentation verification procedures at the point of origin. Upon having completed these procedures and given clearance to board the plane, the passenger is considered "sterile". Consequently, it is assumed that a passenger disembarking from their flight will have not have had their  "sterile" status changed (i.e., not expected to be a security threat or be improperly documented).

Air carrier personnel are responsible for escorting passengers from the gate and through the corridors of the "sterile" zone of terminal until the passengers reach the primary inspection line of customs and immigration. The procedures consist of customs, immigration and secondary customs desks. Once the passenger has cleared the second customs line, they proceed past controlled-accessed doors which lead to the public areas of the terminal. Passengers arriving on flights originating from the USA are directed to the same primary inspection line used by other international passengers.

International flights are kept separate from domestic flights through the use of a "sterility line",  a movable partition that maintains a division between domestic and international passengers. This line is maintained by series of doors along the corridors that can be blocked off. The exact location of the "sterility line" is determined by the amount and proportion of incoming and outgoing domestic and international flights and can change many times in a given day. In Terminal 1, the location of "sterility line" is controlled by the Greater Toronto Airport Authority while in Terminal 2, the line is controlled by Air Canada.

In Terminal 3, international flights not originating from or destined for the United States are never mixed with domestic flights. However, flights originating from or destined for the United States are occasionally directed to the domestic flights wing via a transfer bridge, thus creating a situation where passengers on US flights will mix with passengers from domestic flights.

 However, in the "sterile" zones of  all the terminals, embarking and disembarking passengers of various international flights freely mix. The source also noted that there are garbage cans located along the hallways of the sterile corridors and the customs area, and that there are washrooms located in the customs area. Thus, there is a possibility that an arriving passenger may be able to hand off or dispose of documentation between the time of disembarking and primary inspection.

When passengers disembark from the plane directly on to the tarmac, they are bussed to the terminal or are unloaded close to a gate entrance. It is mandatory that air carrier personnel escort the passengers until inside the terminal.

There are a number of closely monitored doorways along the "sterile" corridors. Each time an employee passes through a secure door they must swipe a pass card. The time, date and employee number of the individual is recorded. As well as having electronic surveillance cameras on each of the doors, records are retained for one month. Only employees designated to work in a "sterile" sector of the airport can have access to the doors.

The source noted that airport security has the legal authority to prevent and detain an individual who is attempting to gain illegal and undocumented entry to a restricted or "sterile" area of the terminal but has no jurisdiction to prevent or restrain a properly documented or "sterile" passenger from improperly exiting the terminal (i.e., not passing through customs and immigration).

The source was unaware whether immigration and customs compare the number of passengers registered on the flights with the number of passengers that are cleared through the inspection counters.

For information on standard port-of-entry interview and documentation verification procedures at Canadian customs and immigration desks, please consult Employment and Immigration Canada's Immigration Manual: Port of Entry (PE), available at Regional Documentation Centres.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Reference

Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Mississauga. 4 April 1997. Telephone interview with superintendent of security systems at Pearson International Airport.