Canada Follows Australia's Lead

[Dave Hounddriver]

Canada set to begin collecting data on travellers leaving country

Ottawa will soon start collecting data on every person leaving Canada by land and air in a bid to identify and track anyone from potential terrorists to snowbirds who lie about their residency to claim government benefits.

The new measures, expected to take effect later this year, aim to strengthen border security, enforce residency requirements for permanent residents . . . .  (lots more at link)

Edited March 21, 2019 by Dave Hounddriver

[Joey G]

Heck, I assumed every country already did this, but I guess not (??)    

[Gary D]

The UK hasn't checked people out for many years, the government doesn't have a clue who's still in the country. All done to save a few boarder control officers.

[GeoffH]

Australia does it by mandating that all new and replacement passports are e-passports and uses facial recognition and electronic passport scanners (which presumably are linked to a government database that records entry and exits).

There are actually less border staff than before it was automated.

[Clermont]

12 hours ago, GeoffH said:

Australia does it by mandating that all new and replacement passports are e-passports and uses facial recognition and electronic passport scanners (which presumably are linked to a government database that records entry and exits).

There are actually less border staff than before it was automated.

Going through airports in Australia now is simple, like Geoff said, face scanning linked to a data base that holds all information, including what type of Visa you are entering the country on. 

[Reboot]

On 3/20/2019 at 9:33 PM, Dave Hounddriver said:

Canada set to begin collecting data on travellers leaving country

Ottawa will soon start collecting data on every person leaving Canada by land and air in a bid to identify and track anyone from potential terrorists to snowbirds who lie about their residency to claim government benefits.

The new measures, expected to take effect later this year, aim to strengthen border security, enforce residency requirements for permanent residents . . . .  (lots more at link)

Sure hope they don't pull this in US. We pay into SS our whole lives, it's supposed to be ours no matter where we choose to live!

[Arizona Kid]

3 hours ago, Reboot said:

Sure hope they don't pull this in US. We pay into SS our whole lives, it's supposed to be ours no matter where we choose to live!

Don't be surprised if they have been doing it already for years. I think they are looking for fraudulent claims tho. Nothing to worry about if you are legit. 

[GeoffH]

 

4 hours ago, Reboot said:

Sure hope they don't pull this in US. We pay into SS our whole lives, it's supposed to be ours no matter where we choose to live!

Australia don't stop Social Security payments for what used to be called the Aged Pension but if you live overseas for more than 6 months then they do reduce the amount payable if you're overseas for more than 6 months (it reduces to the minimum/basic payment) so they monitor (according to budget figures that saved 166 million in the last 4 years, not a big amount... but I'm sure it got some government worker a promotion for thinking of it).

[manofthecoldland]

As a US citizen, it came as a surprise to me when I learnt that some friends here were seriously curtailing their stays to avoid losing parts of their benefits. My retired friend from Glasgow and his Pinay built a fine house here years ago, but would only live in it for I think 3 months when he started reading articles of the UK starting to actually drop people from the health registers in accordance to the regs.  

Different countries have their social and retirement benefits tied to in-country residency, with differing and often changing amounts of time and circumstances allowed for maintaining your right to claim them if you leave your country.

   e.g., Most US citizens here in the PI know that access to medicare coverage and payment is only available to the US citizens in the US, its territories and special purpose overseas facilities (Vets hospitals come to mind). But we never lose it or are dropped from continuous in-country coverage despite residing or taking extended vacations in places like the PI.  

  I know the UK and Australians have a different set of time-related coverage limitations if you are abroad for extended periods of time. You can lose your coverage and have to meet new qualifiers to have your benefits re-instated. Some fellows forego it when they re-locate here. Others shuttle back and forth to maintain their legal  access to their health programs. 

[hk blues]

You don't get welfare benefits from the UK Government if you are living abroad.  You will still get the State Pension and one or two other minor benefits but most stop when you stop contributing into the SS system.  You will also fall out of the NHS (healthcare) system. The principle seems to be you remain covered as long as you are contributing, once you stop paying most benefits stop.  Fair or unfair - open to opinion I guess.