In-Canada Transportation Loan
The Immigration Loans Program (ILP) In-Canada Transportation Loan can be accessed by eligible loan recipients—that is, mainly refugees selected for resettlement to Canada—when they arrive in Canada to cover the travellers’ accommodation and/or ground transportation costs while in transit to the final destination. It is one of the 4 types of loans offered under the ILP.
Access to this loan is facilitated by Port of Entry (POE) Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) Service Provider Organizations (SPOs), and the loan is typically signed and authorized by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreement is accepted as a form of payment by accommodation and ground transportation providers at the POEs.
Note: The In-Canada Transportation Loan can’t be provided in the form of monetary assistance. Instead, accommodation and ground transportation providers cover expenses on behalf of the loan recipient, invoice IRCC, and costs are placed on the loan recipient’s ILP loan account.
For definitions of terms used in these instructions, see the ILP Glossary.
On this page
- Port of Entry locations and/or providers new to loan issuance
- Eligibility for the In-Canada Transportation Loan
- Eligible expenses
- Requesting access to the loan
- Assessing the need for accommodation and/or ground transportation
- Completing the loan agreement
- Counselling loan recipients
- Authorizing the issuance of the loan
- Signing the loan agreement
- Processing the loan
- Documenting the loan agreement
Port of Entry locations and/or providers new to loan issuance
If a cohort of resettlement clients is expected to arrive in Canada through a POE location that is new to In-Canada Transportation Loan issuance, to ensure the all parties are familiar with the loan issuance process, prior consultation and coordination is required between IRCC’s Resettlement, Family and Humanitarian (RFH) branch, IRCC’s Settlement and Resettlement Operations (SRO) branch, the local CBSA office and the new RAP SPO that will be providing POE services.
If a new accommodation or ground transportation provider is expected to provide services at a POE paid through the In-Canada Transportation Loan, the provider must send the accommodation or ground transportation company’s name, street address and email address to IRCC’s Loans and Accounts Receivable (LAR) team. Once LAR confirms that the vendor account has been created, the provider can submit to LAR completed In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreements and relevant invoices for reimbursement.
Eligibility for the In-Canada Transportation Loan
In addition to the criteria listed in Eligibility for an ILP loan, as access to the In-Canada Transportation Loan is facilitated by RAP SPOs delivering POE services, only travellers eligible to receive POE RAP services can access this loan, that is, resettlement clients and other RAP-eligible travellers. Multiple loans can be issued, if required.
Eligible expenses
The following costs can be added to the In-Canada Transportation Loan:
- For Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) or Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS) clients:
- Ground transportation from the final airport to the final destination, if the final destination is not the POE city
- For other RAP-eligible travellers:
- Ground transportation from the final airport to the final destination, if the final destination is not the POE city
- Accommodation while in transit in Canada
- Meals provided by the accommodation provider
Pre-established accommodation and ground transportation rates
POE RAP SPOs should hold agreements with local accommodation and ground transportation providers to ensure service availability when required and to establish optimal rates for travellers. Pre-established rates allow POE RAP SPOs to complete the In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreement in advance of the travellers’ arrival based on their need for ground transportation and/or accommodation. These needs are determined based on the information included in their Notification of Arrival Transmission (NAT) (see Assessing the need for accommodation and/or ground transportation section below).
The agreements and rates established with providers should be shared with and approved by the SRO regional office. Accommodation and meal rates should be comparable to that provided by other local commercial RAP temporary accommodations, while ground transportation rates should be in line with market value. Once they are approved, the SRO regional office should share these rates for reference purposes with the local CBSA office, the RFH Loans team and the LAR team.
The following rates should be pre-established:
- Accommodation: Rate per room per night (rates may vary between low and peak seasons)
- Meals offered by accommodation provider: Breakfast, lunch and dinner rates for adult and children’s meals
- Ground transportation: Taxi and/or bus fares from the airport to most common final destinations for resettlement clients
Requesting access to the In-Canada Transportation Loan
Note: As SPOs delivering POE RAP services must initiate the issuance of the In-Canada Transportation Loan, this loan can only be issued in locations where these SPOs are also present.
Adult travellers
If, based on their NAT, the POE RAP SPO assessed that travellers may need accommodation while in transit in Canada or ground transportation to their final destination, the POE RAP SPO will provide information on the loan upon their arrival and access to the loan, if required.
Minors travelling without their parent or without their intended guardian
There may be instances where a client under the age of 18 is required to travel without their parent(s) or intended guardian present. This may include
- clients accepted under the one-year window of opportunity program (OYW) joining their parent(s) in Canada
- clients travelling to Canada to be united with a blood relative, who may apply for guardianship once in Canada (consanguineous minors)
- clients being resettled concurrently with their parent, but from different countries of asylum
- clients travelling as de facto dependants (DFD), either accompanied by their intended guardian, resettled concurrently but from a different country of asylum than their intended guardian, or joining their intended guardian in Canada.
If a minor travelling without their parent or without their intended guardian requires the In-Canada Transportation Loan, the POE RAP SPO must contact the parent or intended guardian in advance to confirm if a loan will be needed for the minor.
For more information related to loans for clients under the age of 18, see Eligibility for an ILP loan.
Assessing the need for accommodation and/or ground transportation
POE RAP SPOs are informed of the arrival of clients eligible to receive POE services through a NAT. The NAT is sent to the POE RAP SPO and other stakeholders approximately 10 days in advance of the travellers’ arrival in Canada.
Based on the information contained in the NAT, the POE RAP SPO determines if the travellers are likely to require a loan to cover the cost of ground transportation to the final destination, and/or accommodation and meals while in transit in Canada.
Ground transportation to final destination
If, based on the NAT, travellers need ground transportation from the POE airport to the final destination, the POE RAP SPO makes the necessary arrangements in advance or upon the travellers’ arrival, and costs will be placed on the In-Canada Transportation Loan.
Minors travelling without their parent or without their intended guardian
For minors travelling without their parent or without their intended guardian, the POE RAP SPO must only make advance arrangements if the parent or guardian has confirmed that ground transportation is needed for the minor (see Requesting access to the In-Canada Transportation Loan – Minors travelling without their parent or without their intended guardian).
Accommodation and meals in transit
If, based on the NAT, accommodation and meals are required for the travellers while they are in transit to their final destination, the POE RAP SPO must make the necessary arrangements for accommodation in advance of the client’s arrival only if advance booking is required due to limited room availability, in order to avoid cancellation charges. The cost of accommodation, including meals offered by the same accommodation provider, are covered:
- For GAR and JAS clients: through the POE RAP SPO’s contribution agreement with IRCC
- For other RAP-eligible travellers: through the In-Canada Transportation Loan, if clients request access to it
Note: All NATs for sponsored refugees who have a planned overnight stay at the POE include the following message:
“note to sponsor – If, based on their flight itinerary, a sponsored refugee (PSR, BVOR or cost-sharing case) requires an overnight hotel at the POE, the IRCC-funded service providers at the POE will book the hotel in advance. If this hotel booking is not required, please “Reply All” to this email as soon as possible to notify the service provider to cancel the hotel booking. If the booking is not used and not cancelled, the client will incur hotel cancellation fees, and these costs will be added to the client’s In-Canada Transportation Loan.”
Per the above, if overnight accommodation is not used and not cancelled, the sponsored refugees will be asked to sign an In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreement on arrival, and any cancellation fee incurred on their behalf will be placed on their loan.
Minors travelling without their parent or without their intended guardian
When a minor is travelling to join a parent or intended guardian in Canada, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) may make arrangements for the parent/guardian to travel to the POE airport to meet their child on arrival and travel back with them to final destination.
If the parent/guardian can’t travel to and from the POE on the same day, accommodation may be needed for the parent/guardian only or for the parent/guardian and the minor. After being notified by IOM that an overnight stay at the POE will be necessary, the RFH Loans team will contact the SRO regional office and ask for confirmation that the POE RAP SPO can
- coordinate in advance with the parent/guardian to obtain their signature of the loan agreement remotely, or meet them on arrival at the domestic terminal
- make arrangements for accommodation for the parent/guardian only or for the parent/guardian and the minor
Once confirmation is received, the POE RAP SPO proceeds with coordinating the parent/guardian signature of the agreement and making arrangements for accommodations for:
- GAR or JAS minors:
- cover their accommodation costs (and meals, if offered by the same provider) via the POE RAP SPO contribution agreement
- inform the parent/guardian that while they will stay in the same hotel room as their child, they must pay the accommodation provider directly to cover the cost of their own meals
- other RAP-eligible minors:
- If the parent/guardian arrives the day before their child’s arrival and requires a loan to cover the cost of accommodations for themselves only, advance coordination is required with the CBSA office for the loan to be signed and authorized
- If the parent arrives the same day as the child, the loan agreement signed by the parent or guardian must be presented during the minor’s POE examination to be signed and authorized by the CBSA (see Signing the loan agreement section)
Domestic flights
Airlines in Canada do not accept the In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreement as a form of payment. If IOM inadvertently omitted to book a traveller’s domestic flight to their final destination:
- The POE RAP SPO contacts IOM Ottawa to have them book the domestic travel for the travellers.
- IOM sends the ticket(s) and itinerary to the POE RAP SPO to provide to the travellers.
- IOM sends the invoice for the domestic flight(s) to LAR to have the costs added to the loan recipient’s ILP loan account.
Should a traveller choose to change their final destination upon arrival at the POE, they are responsible for all costs related to the change of itinerary. If travel by air to a different final destination than originally planned is required, they must pay for their new domestic ticket directly at the airline desk. For more details, see the RAP Service Provider Handbook for procedures relating to Self-Destining – Changing Final Destination.
Completing the loan agreement
If the POE RAP SPO determined that the travellers are likely to require a loan to cover the cost of accommodation while in transit or ground transportation to the final destination, they complete the loan agreement in advance of the travellers’ arrival in Canada.
Key reminders
- Minors: The In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreement must be signed by the parent or intended guardian in advance of the minor’s arrival in Canada.
- Official language preference: Please use the English or French version of the loan agreement according to the official language preference of the loan recipient(s).
Form to use: Immigration Loans Program – In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreement [IMM 0500]
- The POE RAP SPO completes the loan agreement by hand or electronically:
- Loan recipient: Full name, IRCC application number, unique client identifier (UCI), and email
- Co-signer (optional): Their information should only be included if they wish to co-sign the loan
- Full name, UCI (if applicable) and email
- Indicate if the loan recipient(s) is(are) accessing a loan on behalf of:
- themselves only
- themselves and their beneficiaries, or
- their beneficiaries only
- If “their beneficiaries only” is selected, include the beneficiaries’ application number. For example, if the client who needs the loan is a minor, the parent/guardian should be the loan recipient, and the application number included in this field should be the minor’s.
- Loan amount
- For accommodation at the POE:
- Include the number of rooms required, the number of nights and the pre-established rate per room per night
- For meals offered by the accommodation provider:
- Include the number of adults and children, and the pre-established rates for breakfast, lunch and dinner
- For ground transportation from the POE airport to the final destination:
- Include the number of taxis and/or bus tickets, and respective pre-established fares
- Include origin (From:) and destination (To:)
- For accommodation at the POE:
- If completed electronically, the POE RAP SPO prints the completed loan agreement.
- Prior to loan counselling and loan signature, the POE RAP SPO verifies the identity of the loan recipient (and their beneficiaries, if applicable).
Counselling loan recipients
Before loan recipients sign the agreement, the POE RAP SPO must review with them the main terms and conditions of the loan to help them understand the agreement they are about to sign. Loan recipients must be provided with the In-Canada Transportation Loan Information Sheet (PDF, 142 KB). Loan recipients may also access the full terms and conditions of this loan in the In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreement, available in French and English.
Informing clients on the loan: POE RAP SPOs must not proactively offer the In-Canada Transportation Loan to clients. Instead, they must provide information to the client, who can then request access to the loan, if they wish do so do.
Official language preference: The loan recipient may sign the loan agreement in the official language of their choice. Please use the English or French version of the In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreement according to their preference.
Loan counselling script to be read to the loan recipient(s)
- You can access this loan to cover the cost of a hotel stay, including hotel meals, while you’re in transit within Canada and/or ground transportation from the airport to your final destination.
- You can’t receive cash through this loan to pay for your own hotel or ground transportation. The Service Provider Organization (SPO) funded by IRCC and located at the airport has already identified hotels and ground transportation providers with pre-established rates. These providers accept this loan as payment, they are reimbursed by IRCC, and the costs are added to your loan.
- The following terms are used in the loan agreement:
- Loan recipient: Can access this loan on behalf of themselves only, themselves and their dependants, or their dependants only
- Note : Dependants are referred to as beneficiaries in the loan agreement
- Co-signer: An adult dependant, such as your spouse, who chooses to co-sign the loan
- Including a co-signer on your loan is entirely optional
- If you don’t repay your loan, the co-signer will become responsible for it
- Travellers: Those whose costs will be added to this loan
Only share item #4 with sponsored refugees (PSR, BVOR or cost-sharing cases)
- Loan recipient: Can access this loan on behalf of themselves only, themselves and their dependants, or their dependants only
- If, based on your itinerary, you require a hotel stay while you’re in transit, the SPO funded by IRCC booked your hotel stay in advance on your behalf. If you don’t use the hotel room and your sponsor did not cancel it on your behalf, cancellation fees will be charged by the hotel. You will then need to sign the loan agreement, and the costs will be added to your loan account.
- There is no interest on this loan.
- You must start repaying this loan no later than one year after the traveller(s) has(have) arrived in Canada. Depending on your total Immigration Loans Program (ILP) loan amount, you will have 3 to 8 years to repay it.
- Contact IRCC Collection Services as soon as possible to provide your email address and/or mailing address in Canada, or let them know of any further changes to your email or mailing address within 10 days. If not, you might not receive your loan statement and may miss your first monthly payments.
- By signing this agreement, you are:
- asking the SPO funded by IRCC and located at the airport to make hotel and/or ground transportation arrangements for you and/or your dependants, using pre-established providers and rates
- confirming that you need this loan as you have no other way to cover these costs
- confirming that you agree to the terms of this agreement
- confirming that this agreement was explained to you in a language that you understand.
Only share item #11 if there is a co-signer to the loan.
- As a co-signer to this agreement, you are confirming that:
- if the loan recipient doesn’t repay this loan, you will become responsible for it
- you agree to the terms of this agreement
- this agreement was explained to you in a language that you understand.
Authority to issue the loan
Only officers with designated authority can issue ILP loans. The portion of the Instrument of Designation and Delegation that relates to section 289 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) lists all officers who are authorized to issue all types of ILP loans. While SRO RAP Officers are authorized to issue this loan, CBSA officers located at POE airports are typically responsible for issuing the In-Canada Transportation Loan.
While the POE RAP SPO verifies the identity of the loan recipient upon arrival, the designated officer is responsible for signing the loan agreement to authorize the issuance of the loan under section R289.
In exceptional circumstances, such as when exceptionally high volumes of eligible travellers arrive at one time and need this loan, SRO RAP officers may assist with loan signing and authorization, whether in person or remotely.
Signing the loan agreement
Signing by an adult traveller
After verifying the loan recipient’s identity and providing them with loan counselling, the POE RAP SPO obtains the loan recipient’s signature, co-signer’s signature (if applicable) and the interpreter’s signature (if applicable).
Signing by the parent or intended guardian of minor travelling without them
Parent/guardian travels to the POE to join the minor on arrival
If the parent or intended guardian travels to the POE to meet the minor on arrival and requires a loan to cover their own costs of accommodation at the POE (if arriving the day before the minor) or costs for themselves and the minor, the POE RAP SPO obtains the parent/guardian signature on their arrival at the airport’s domestic terminal, after verifying their identity and providing loan counselling.
Remote signing
If a parent or intended guardian chooses to sign the loan agreement in advance of their arrival at the POE, or is not joining the minor on arrival at the airport, their signature must be obtained remotely, in advance of the minor’s arrival in Canada:
- The POE RAP SPO
- contacts the parent or intended guardian using the contact information included in the NAT
- verifies the identity of the parent or intended guardian, following internal processes that meet all information-sharing and privacy protocols
- completes the agreement document, saves it and emails it to the loan recipient
- The loan recipient and co-signer (if applicable) add their electronic or wet signature.
The loan recipient scans or takes a clear picture of the signed agreement and returns it to the POE RAP SPO.
Signature options for the loan recipient: If it’s not feasible for the loan recipient to provide a digital signature, a scanned copy or a clear picture of the signed agreement, the loan recipient replies by email to the POE RAP SPO, attaching the loan agreement, and including the following declaration in the body of the email: “I’m unable to return a signed agreement; however, I understand and agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreement.” This email should be attached to the completed In-Canada Transportation Loan Agreement when providing it to CBSA for signature, and to the accommodation or ground transportation provider.
CBSA signature
Standard processing – CBSA signature during the travellers’ POE examination
After the POE RAP SPO has completed the loan agreement, met the travellers at the gate, verified the loan recipient’s identity, provided them with loan counselling and obtained their signature, the POE RAP SPO and loan recipient provide the hard copy of the loan agreement to CBSA for signature during the travellers’ POE examination.
Advanced coordination required
The POE RAP SPO must coordinate in advance with CBSA to have the loan agreement signed and authorized in the following circumstances:
- when the loan recipient arrives at the airport’s domestic terminal, but needs a fully signed loan agreement to access overnight accommodation or ground transportation to the final destination, for example:
- when the parent/guardian travels to the POE the day before their child arrives and needs a loan to cover the costs of their own accommodation and meals at the POE
- when a client must transit through a second airport where a POE RAP SPO is also located and needs a loan to cover the costs of accommodation and meals and/or ground transportation to the final destination from this second airport. The POE RAP SPO located in this second airport is responsible for facilitating the issuance of the loan agreement by the local CBSA office and for facilitating arrangements with their local accommodation and/or ground transportation providers.
- when a loan must be signed and authorized on short notice:
- a loan is unexpectedly required by a traveller after their CBSA POE examination to cover accommodation and meal costs at the POE due to a cancelled, rescheduled or missed onward domestic flight.
Loan processing
Once the loan agreement is fully signed, the loan recipient or the POE RAP SPO brings a copy of the fully signed agreement to the ground transportation and/or accommodation provider and makes arrangements on behalf of the travellers (if not made in advance).
Once the services have been delivered, the ground transportation or accommodation provider
- adds their name and signature in the appropriate field of the loan agreement
- sends a copy of the completed and fully signed agreement and related invoice(s) to LAR.
LAR processes the loan and releases the payment to the ground transportation or accommodation provider, typically within one month of receiving the provider’s request.
Documenting the loan agreement
A completed and fully signed copy of the loan agreement (including at least the loan recipient and CBSA signatures) should be provided to the loan recipient for their own records.
Signed copy for the loan recipient: The signed loan agreement is an important document for the loan recipient to retain, as it is a proof of their commitment to repay the loan. As such, the loan recipient should be provided with an electronic or hard copy of the loan document signed by at least themselves and CBSA, when operationally feasible.