Beyond the Border Report: Facilitating the Conduct of Cross-Border Business

On June 26, 2013, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Canadian Public Safety Vic Toews, and Canada's Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney released a progress report entitled “Facilitating the Conduct of Cross-Border Business.” This report, which is a deliverable of the Beyond the Border Action Plan, describes bilateral efforts to ensure business travelers benefit from more efficient and predictable border clearance processes. 

The Beyond the Border Action Plan includes a number of commitments to facilitate the conduct of cross-border business.  Key accomplishments to date as outlined in the report include:

• Provided enhanced administrative guidance, training and operational manuals to border officials in order to achieve operational consistency at all ports of entry on business traveler issues.
• Established new processes under which certain categories of business travelers may request adjudication of employment and related petitions by the destination country's immigration authorities to identify and resolve potential issues prior to the actual date of travel.
• Held joint consultations with stakeholders in both countries in order to identify and assess additional ways to facilitate relevant processes through administrative, policy, regulatory and operational improvements.

The Department of Homeland Security and Citizenship and Immigration Canada commit to continued annual stakeholder consultation sessions, and are pursuing a number of other initiatives outlined in the report and intended to better facilitate cross-border business.