The Canada Border Services Agency should suspend customs liability during the period of deferred customs duties, the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers said in an announcement posted on the Farrow blog. “These are unprecedented times, and the normal and beneficial business practices that underpin the customs broker-client financial relationship now have the potential to negatively impact the intended positive effects of deferral,” it said. “For example, brokers who hold release prior to payment security on behalf of importers may require deposits or payments to mitigate their financial risk.” The CSCB “also requested that there be no claims against importer bonds during this time,” it said. “We believe this gives importers the best chance of benefiting from the government’s decision on deferral in the next three months and beyond, supporting their viability. It also supports customs brokers and the valuable services they provide not only in the context of the accounting and payment process, but for release of goods at a time when trade facilitation is critical to recovery.”
Canadian and Mexican politicians are sending different messages to their countries' journalists about how quickly the uniform regulations can be completed for the new NAFTA, now known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. A Canadian politician and a labor leader told a Canadian newspaper that a June 1 date of entry into force is unlikely, given how much remains to be done to be ready, and especially with the disruption caused by the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
The Canada Border Services Agency is again postponing the sunset date for legacy release options as part of the Single Window Initiative and Integrated Import Declaration transition, the agency said in a March 24 customs notice. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CBSA will be postponing the decommissioning of the legacy [other government departments] release service options until a date later to be determined,” it said. “Clients that have on-boarded to the SWI IID (SO911) but continue to use the legacy OGD release service options (SO463 and SO471) may experience delays in the processing of their shipment. As such, clients that have completed the on-boarding process are encouraged to utilize the SWI IID (SO911) for all OGD release requests.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada said that workers who are essential for the movement of goods and people, such as truck drivers, railroaders, flight crews and mariners, will still be allowed to cross into Canada without having to self-isolate after arrival. “These workers are asked to closely self-monitor, and self-isolate immediately should they exhibit any symptoms. It is recommended that employers in these sectors conduct active daily monitoring of their staff for COVID-19 symptoms,” the Canadian government said.
The Canada Border Services Agency will allow a new grace period “to submit accounting declarations for imported goods released on minimum documentation,” the CBSA said in a notice. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic “the CBSA has decided to provide for a 45 business days grace period for late accounting penalties,” it said. “Clients will not have to submit an application to have late accounting penalties waived. This applies to transactions released from March 11, 2020, to May 14, 2020, inclusively.”
The Canada Border Services Agency will now allow 120 days to submit corrections “following a CBSA trade compliance verification where errors were found,” the CBSA said in a customs notice.