CBSA Launches Easier Airport Transit for International Flyers

Dec 2, 2025 / 2 min readIshita Soni

What Did CBSA Announce?

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has started a 30-day public consultation about a new rule.
This rule would allow passengers who are just transiting through Canada to another international destination to skip checking in with CBSA at the airport.

Why Is This Being Proposed?

Currently, even if travellers are not entering Canada, they still need to pass through border checks.
However, the new system aims to:

  • Make travel faster and smoother, and
  • Still keep Canada’s borders secure

So, this change is meant to reduce delays while maintaining safety.

What Would Change for Travellers?

Under the proposed Free Flow International-to-International Transit process:

  • Passengers won’t need to meet CBSA officers during transit
  • They will simply stay inside the airport and move to their next international flight

This makes the journey easier, especially for passengers with short layovers.

What Would Airlines Be Required to Do?

To keep borders secure, airlines would need to provide CBSA with a bit more information, such as:

  • The traveller’s final international destination
  • The date and time they arrived in Canada for transit

This helps CBSA confirm that the person successfully left Canada on their next flight.

Why Is This Change Important?

This proposal is part of Canada’s Red Tape Review — an effort to reduce unnecessary steps and make government services more efficient.

Therefore, the new rules would:

  • Speed up the process for international travellers
  • Free up border officers to focus on higher-risk cases
  • Maintain strong security while improving the passenger experience

When Can People Give Feedback?

The proposed regulation is published in the Canada Gazette, and feedback is open until December 29, 2025.

Conclusion

Canada is planning to make airport transit much smoother for international travellers. With this new proposal, people catching another international flight through Canada may no longer need to check in with border officers, making the whole process faster and easier.

At the same time, Canada will still keep its borders safe by asking airlines to share important travel details. As the government reviews feedback until December 29, 2025, travellers and airlines can look forward to a more modern and efficient transit experience in the future.

Get in touch with SPS Global

Receive advice on any of your questions regarding Canadian immigration. Get in touch with us, experienced immigration consultants from SPS Global. For additional information, contact support@spscanada.com (Canada) or support.amd@spscanada.com (Ahmedabad), or by phone at (1) 905-362-9393 (Canada) or +919586226232 (Ahmedabad).

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