Audit of Operational Controls at
Ports of Entry (Based on the
1996 Tassé Report) – Final Report
2.4.2 Port Stamps
Chapter 24 of the Immigration Control Manual outlines the general operating procedures for port stamps in the Department. This manual does not appear on CIC’s intranet (CIC Explore) due to the secure nature of the information.
A port stamp imprint on a document, such as a passport, indicates entry into the country.
Most immigration officers were vigilant about securing their port stamps when they were not being used, although we noted a few omissions during the field visits. These were reported to management at the time, and the audit team was advised that corrective action was being taken with the employees in question.
The Department has recently set up a system whereby each immigration officer’s port stamp has (section removed). This is a good initiative.
Multiple-Use Port Stamps
Two ports of entry needed to share port stamps. Due to logistics, it was not advisable for the immigration officers to carry their port stamps from one site to another and return them at the end of the day to the original site. As a result, (section removed).
At two sites, we observed that there (section removed).
Best Practices
One very large port of entry (Terminal 2 at Pearson International Airport, which is staffed by immigration officers from terminals 1 and 3) uses an effective log system. At the beginning of each shift at Terminal 2, the duty manager stamps in the logbook the impression of the port stamp to be used by the immigration officer. The duty manager writes the name of the officer who will be using that port stamp. At the end of the shift, the port stamp is retrieved from the immigration officer and is returned to the safe.
Recommendation 13: The regions and ports of entry should ensure that immigration officers secure their port stamps.
Management Response and Actions Initiated
More effective control of immigration controlled assets (badges, ID and stamps) has been achieved through the Immigration Controlled Assets Program (ICAP) by ensuring centralized control of these assets through regional coordinators. Records of transactions are maintained in a database at the regional coordinator’s office, thus eliminating the possibility of duplication or omission. Regional coordinators continue to educate regional directors and supervisors in an effort to promote existing policy and minimize the possibility of compromise.
Copies of the ICAP Manual described under section 6 of IRPA were sent to regions and local area supervisors. Sections 3 and 4 of the manual highlight the control and responsibilities an officer inherits when he or she comes into possession of the “card, badge and port stamp.” The ICAP manual will be made available through CIC Explore soon.
CIC management will continue to communicate to immigration officers the importance of keeping their port stamps secure.
- Date Modified:
