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If you are living in Canada or planning to move there on an IEC permit, you may have heard chatter about the risks of flagpoling.
But what even is flagpoling? What is the rule? And what alternatives are there if flagpoling isn’t allowed?
In this article, we’ll explain it all.
What is flagpoling?
Flagpoling refers to the practice of crossing the border from Canada into the US, and then re-entering Canada shortly after (even immediately) to activate a work or study permit.
Canadian authorities define it as:
When foreign nationals who hold temporary resident status in Canada, leave Canada and, after a visit to the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon, re-enter to access immigration services at a port of entry. Source.
This practice usually applies to individuals who are already residing in Canada at the time of being approved for a new permit.
Restricted since December 2024
The government of Canada announced on 23 December 2024 that:
Work and study permits will no longer be provided to flagpolers at a port of entry, effective December 23 at 11:59 pm ET.
This is because:
This practice has taken up significant resources at the border, diverting Canadian and American officers away from important enforcement activities and has contributed to wait times for cross-border travellers.
Immigration services at the border are meant for individuals arriving in Canada, not for those already in Canada. Source.
What to do instead of flagpoling
If you need to leave and re-enter Canada to activate a new permit, the safest thing to do is to fly out of Canada to an international destination other than the US and St. Pierre and Miquelon.
For example, past permit holders have:
- Flown to a nearby country such as Mexico or the Dominican Republic for a vacation and then returned to Canada, or
- Flown back to their home country and then returned to Canada.
These itineraries would typically not fall into the definition of flagpoling.
The official announcement by the government of Canada does not differentiate between driving and flying.
The official announcement by the government of Canada does NOT indicate that beyond a certain number of days in the US, one is no longer considered to be a flagpoler.
The official announcement by the government of Canada specifies “foreign nationals who hold temporary resident status in Canada” and does not address foreign nationals visiting Canada. This is because typically, applications for work and study permits should be done from outside Canada, and during the processing period, applicants are not advised to enter Canada as a visitor.
If for some reason you are in Canada as a visitor when your permit application is approved, it is still advisable that you avoid the practice of flagpoling.
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