Canada Could Soon Be Getting A Passport Phone App
It seems nowadays border crossings are becoming only more and more difficult.
A global wave of xenophobia is fuelling more aggressive border policy, particularly in the United States.
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The Trump adinistration has orchestrated human rights abused at the border with Mexico, established checkpoints to catch foreigners over one hundred kilometres from international boundaries, and executed incursions into Canada-claimed waters.
So when news breaks that officials are looking to make border crossings a little bit easier for Canadians, people were pleasantly surprised.
A new study by Immigration, Refugees,and Citizenship Canada explored possible ways to overhaul the way Canadians use their passports. Among the innovations discussed are online passport-renewal applications and even a mobile phone app that would replace hard copy passport booklets.
Though old-fashioned passports have their charm, a passport phone app would accelerate wait times for Canadians looking to reenter the country.
According to Global News, such an app is already used by American agents at the southern border, which includes the busiest border-crossing in the world, between San Diego and Tijuana.
Americans coming back into the United States need only present a bar code on the app for agents to scan.
The study from IRCC indicates that an app is a definite possibility, though there are no concrete plans to introduce one.
In the meantime, Canadians can take pride in the fact that their national passport remains one of the most powerfu in the world.