A new agreement to share information about visas and immigration was
signed on December 13 between the U.S. and Canada. The new agreement
will enable the two countries to share information from third country
nationals who apply for a visa or permit to travel to the U.S. or
Canada. This new agreement will help protect the security and safety of
citizens of both countries and will, ideally, identify risks and
applicant identities at the earliest possible opportunity.
The agreement, which was signed by U.S. ambassador, David Jacobson, and
Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism,
Jason Kenney, authorizes the development of arrangements under which one
country can send automated requests for data to the other. These
requests would contain limited information (e.g., name, date of birth,
anonymous fingerprint). If the identity matches a previous application,
immigration information may be shared between the two countries. This
information could include whether the person has been refused a visa in
the past. Information will not be shared regarding U.S. or Canadian
citizens or permanent residents.
