Gowlings has authored a memo on behalf of CTA on the subject of permanent resident truck drivers and the impact on their timeline to apply as Canadian citizens as a result of them making deliveries into the US.
CTA has been lobbying Ottawa for changes to the definition of a “day away” from Canada as it pertains to permanent residents. CTA made the argument that if a truck driver makes a delivery to the US but returns the same day back to Canada, it should not count as a day away.
CTA found out today that changes have been made as a result of CTA’s lobby effort. The Citizenship and Immigration web site,that deals with citizenship calculator now reads as follows:
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C. WHAT ABSENCES TO DECLARE
Q9: Do I have to declare day trips to the United States?
A9: No, not if you come back the same day.
Q10: I travel often to the United States and don’t remember the exact dates. What do I do?
A10: To use the residence calculator, you must enter exact dates. If you do not know the exact number of days you were absent, try to calculate an estimated number and after you have printed your absence sheet, attach a hand written note to it indicating that the dates are approximate.
Q11: I travel often because of my work (truck driver, employee for an airline company, etc.). Do I have to declare those absences?
A11: Yes. All absences from Canada, regardless of the reason, must be declared. The only trips you do not have to declare are those where you left and came back to Canada on the same day.
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Obviously, CTA’s efforts have not corrected the issue confronting permanent resident long-haul drivers, but as you can read from the attached Gowling memo, that issue is extremely problematic as it relates to a policy change. The memo does deal with options for carriers to consider.
Members are reminded to share this information in a sensitive manner.
If you have questions regarding this issue please contact jennifer.fox@cantruck.ca