Canada’s Border Services Agency has ended the temporary suspension of removals for individuals holding enforceable removal orders from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Effective 23 September 2026, the four countries were removed from the CBSA’s exclusion list, meaning that inadmissible persons from these states may again be compelled to leave Canada.
Background to the suspension
- On 24 March 2026 the CBSA introduced an Administrative Deferral of Removal (ADR) for the four Gulf states.
- An ADR is a short‑term measure that postpones deportations when a humanitarian crisis makes travel unsafe for the entire civilian population of the destination country.
- The ADR applied only to removals that were not already covered by other inadmissibility grounds (e.g., designated regime membership, criminality, national‑security concerns, organized crime, or serious human‑rights violations).
Types of removal orders
| Order type | Time to depart | Return restrictions |
|---|---|---|
| Departure order | 30 days to leave and confirm departure with CBSA | May return later if entry requirements are met. Failure to depart converts the order to a deportation order. |
| Exclusion order | Must leave immediately and confirm departure | Barred from returning for 1 year (5 years if issued for misrepresentation) unless an Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC) is obtained. |
| Deportation order | Must leave immediately and confirm departure | Permanent bar to re‑entry unless an ARC is granted; returning without one can trigger a new deportation order. |
All three orders become enforceable once the individual has exhausted legal appeals, stays, or risk‑assessment processes.
Impact of lifting the ADR
- Individuals from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar or the UAE who hold a departure, exclusion or deportation order and have no remaining appeals are now subject to removal.
- The CBSA can proceed with deportations even if the person previously benefited from the ADR, provided the removal is not blocked by other inadmissibility grounds.
- The change is reflected on the CBSA’s “Enforcing removals from Canada” webpage, where the four nations have been taken off the exclusion list.
Practical considerations
- Confirm departure – Affected persons must report to a CBSA office and obtain written confirmation of their exit; failure to do so may upgrade the order (e.g., departure → deportation).
- Authorization to Return (ARC) – Those subject to exclusion or deportation orders who wish to return to Canada must apply for an ARC before attempting re‑entry.
- Legal counsel – Since removal orders become enforceable once appeals are exhausted, individuals should verify that no further legal remedies remain.
- Inadmissibility grounds – Even with the ADR lifted, the CBSA retains authority to remove persons inadmissible for security‑related or criminal reasons, regardless of the ADR status.
The reinstatement of removals aligns Canada’s enforcement actions with its broader immigration compliance framework, while the ADR remains in place for other jurisdictions where humanitarian conditions still warrant a temporary deferral.
Source article: www.cicnews.com
