Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that flagpoling will soon be discontinued, marking a significant change in how temporary residents extend their stay in Canada. Flagpoling, a practice allowing newcomers to leave and re-enter Canada for same-day immigration services.

“Flagpoling will no longer be an option,” said Minister Marc Miller, in a televised speech on Tuesday, 17 December.

Temporary residents will now need to apply online to extend their permits. The exact implementation date has not been announced, but Miller indicated it would be “as soon as possible.”

Miller emphasized that ending flagpoling will reduce pressure on border officials and enhance the integrity of the immigration system. The move follows earlier restrictions in May 2024, which limited service hours at 12 Canada-U.S. border crossings.

In June 2024, flagpoling for Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) applicants was also halted, citing workload issues and border delays. PGWP applicants accounted for 20% of all flagpoling cases.

This decision comes as IRCC faces a growing backlog, with many applications exceeding standard processing times. IRCC aims to process 80% of applications within these benchmarks.

Flagpoling had provided a legal shortcut for faster immigration processing, but its elimination marks a shift toward streamlining online application systems.