the United States plan to join forces in order to better deal with "irregular flows" of refugees that turn up in North America or migrate within the continent, newly declassified documents show.A border isn't really a big deal if those on both sides of it have the same rules about who can go in and out of the country.
By 2014, the two countries will also begin routinely sharing biometric information about travellers, such as fingerprints.
And Canada is laying the groundwork for legislative and regulatory changes that will require all travellers - including Canadian and U.S. citizens - to present a secure document such as a passport or enhanced driver's licence when entering Canada. Such a document is already required to enter the U.S.
The thing is, while sharing the world's longest international border and the world's largest trading relationship [PDF], Canada and the United States haven't harmonized their immigration and visa rules — and they don't wish to.
That's all well within the scope of each sovereign country's citizens to determine but it also implies that a lot of effort is required of both sides to make sure things operate smoothly. Biometric ID management technology can help.
