Canada Rolls Out New AI Border Screening at Land Crossings

Travellers entering Canada by land may now encounter a new layer of screening powered by artificial intelligence. According to some media reports, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has started using a system called the Travel Compliance Indicator (TCI) at six undisclosed land ports of entry.

This tool doesn’t replace officers, but it does run behind the scenes. Using five years of CBSA data, the TCI crunches details like a traveller’s history, vehicle information, and type of identification.

The result is a “compliance score” that helps officers decide whether someone should be waved through or sent for a closer look

What is the Travel Compliance Indicator?

At its core, the Travel Compliance Indicator (TCI) is an AI-based predictive model that generates a compliance score for each traveller. The score is built in real time from several factors, drawing on at least five years of CBSA records. These may include:

• A person’s previous travel history
• The type of identification they present
• Vehicle details
• Other border entry data that may indicate patterns of compliance or risk

The higher a traveller’s risk as perceived by the system, the more likely they are to be referred for secondary examination. It is worth noting that the system isn’t making the final call. Human officers still have the last word on whether you’re cleared or questioned further.

How It Changes the Border Experience

For most of the travellers, the shift won’t feel dramatic. The TCI is meant to speed up crossings by cutting unnecessary checks, but it also means your travel data will shape how officers treat you.

• Regular travellers with a clean record may move through faster.
• Unusual patterns, such as frequent trips in different vehicles, could prompt additional questions.
• The goal is to focus officer attention on a smaller group flagged as higher risk.

Expansion Plans and Funding

The Canadian government has already committed more than CAD 15 million to the project. The plan is to expand the TCI to every land port by late 2027, then introduce it at airports and seaports.

With global travel volumes climbing, CBSA is pitching this as a modernisation step to keep borders secure without dramatically increasing staff.

Final Thoughts

AI-based systems like the TCI are part of a growing trend in border control worldwide. Countries are experimenting with predictive analytics, biometrics, and automated screening to handle rising traveller numbers.

For frequent cross-border travellers, this means border checks may become faster in some cases, but also more data-driven and less predictable in others.