Evaluation of travellers processing through a GBA+ lens: Appendix B: Evaluation Definitions
Advance Passenger Information (API)
Information submitted electronically pre-arrival by Commercial airlines. Contains basic information about passengers and crew members, including name, date of birth, gender, citizenship, and travel document data (e.g. passport number), used by the NTC to perform risk assessments.
Departure country
Herein, departure country refers to the first country of departure of a traveller entering Canada by air.
Enforcement
Enforcement is the act of compelling adherence to the law. Enforcement represents an essential tool in ensuring that the CBSA meets its goal of compliance. It includes a wide range of activities (examination, audit, investigation, seizure prosecution, etc.) designed to detect, correct and deter non-compliance.
Examination
An examination is an inspection applied to goods, baggage, and conveyances for the purpose of appraisal or classification, to confirm a declaration made concerning goods, baggage, and conveyances, or to search for contraband or unreported or improperly reported goods.
Flight List Targeting
API/PNR data elements are used by the National Targeting Centre to risk assess incoming travellers on flights categorized as "high-risk." In contrast with Scenario Based Targeting, Targeting Officers sort and assess these data elements, based on a comprehensive flight manifest.
Indicator (i.e. within a release request)
A single piece of information, trend, abnormality, or inconsistency that, when added to other information or data, raises a concern to a targeting officer about the threat presented by a traveller or shipment. Indicators may be based on current or historical data, API/PNR information, ACI data, supplementary database information or other information.
Passenger Name Record (PNR)
Information that comes from commercial airline's departure control and reservations systems. PNR data can include ticket type, date of travel, number of bags, and seating information and can be used by the NTC to perform risk assessments.
Referral
A referral is the result of designating selected persons, conveyances, and/or goods for further customs processing, most commonly from primary to secondary for activities, such as payment of duties and taxes, examination, etc. There are three types of referrals:
Mandatory Referral – A referral that a Border Service Officer must make for further documentation or examination, whether it is for CBSA purposes or for that of other government departments. Mandatory referrals can be based on a [*] a computer-generated "hit."
Random Referral – A referral based on a system, sometimes computer generated, which selects shipments and persons for examination in an indefinite pattern.
Selective Referral – A referral that a Border Services Officer makes to the secondary inspection area following the establishment of a point of finality because they suspect that an additional examination or investigation is necessary to make a decision on release.
Resultant
A "resultant" examination is a situation whereby the CBSA has identified, during the examination process, a contravention to the Customs Act and/or any other act of Parliament administered or enforced by the CBSA on behalf of other government organizations. An examination is resultant if any one or more of the following actions occur during an examination:
Seizure
Administrative and Monetary Penalty System
Ascertained Forfeiture
Notice of Determination
Inadmissible goods, by the CBSA's or OGDs' determination, that are ordered removed from Canada or sent for destruction
Scenario-based targeting
Query rules are used by the National Targeting Centre to match Advanced Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR), submitted to the CBSA by commercial air carriers, with scenarios for further risk assessment of incoming travellers. Targeting officers review all scenario matches and decide whether to issue a target.
