Clearit.ca's Blog on Customs Brokerage and News Updates

Most importers don’t get into trouble with CBSA because they meant to do something wrong. They get into trouble because something was classified incorrectly, valued incorrectly, or declared incorrectly, and it wasn’t fixed fast enough. In 2025, with stronger enforcement, deeper data analytics, and increased post-import verification through programs like CARM, CBSA is finding more errors than ever before. When they do, you’re faced wit...

Trade shows move fast. You have limited time, strict deadlines, and a lot riding on your booth, visibility, leads, sales conversations, and brand credibility. But for many exhibitors, the biggest challenge isn’t booth design, shipping logistics, or staffing. It’s getting products into Canada smoothly, without unexpected duties, delays, or compliance issues. Whether you’re a Canadian company bringing in foreign-sourced displays or a...

For many Canadian importers, customs compliance feels straightforward: submit the paperwork, pay duties and taxes, and move on. But the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) doesn’t see it that way. Under the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS), even small mistakes can lead to financial penalties, repeated enforcement actions, and increased scrutiny, often long after the goods have cleared. As enforcement tightens and data rev...

The Courier Low Value Shipment (CLVS) Program was designed to speed up border clearance for low-risk, low-value imports. But in recent years, it has become one of the most misunderstood and misused customs programs in Canada. For businesses, especially e-commerce sellers, CLVS often appears to be an “easy button.” Faster clearance. Less paperwork. Lower upfront friction. The problem? CLVS is not a business-scaling strategy, and CBSA is ...

Not every importer is treated the same in Canada. If you’ve ever brought goods across the border, whether it was a one-off personal purchase or regular inventory for your business, you may have heard the terms casual importer and commercial importer. The distinction matters far more than most people realize. In 2025, with increased enforcement, tighter documentation rules, and greater data sharing between CBSA and other agencies, importer...

When importing into Canada, one reality catches many businesses off guard: even after goods clear the border, mistakes can still surface. Incorrect HS codes, missing origin information, valuation errors, or courier misfilings are extremely common, and under CBSA rules, these issues must be corrected formally. That’s where the B2 Adjustment Request comes in. In today’s high-enforcement environment, B2s aren’t optional paperwork; they�...

For many Canadian importers, having a shipment flagged by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) can feel like hitting a wall—unexpected delays, rising storage fees, and anxious customers waiting for updates. But CBSA holds aren’t random punishments—they’re signals that something in your paperwork, risk profile, or shipment triggered additional scrutiny. In 2025, as cross-border enforcement tightens and documentation standards con...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is tightening documentation enforcement across every import category, and Canadian exporters are feeling the pressure. What used to pass with minimal scrutiny is now triggering holds, queries, and even penalties. With trade volume between Canada and the U.S. at historic highs, CBP expects cleaner, more accurate data than ever before. For Canadian exporters, one truth has become clear: documentation qual...

In 2025, Canadian apparel exporters face a stricter trade environment. Shipping garments into the United States now requires stronger documentation, tighter verification, and a deeper understanding of duty-relief programs. Yet many exporters, cut-and-sew facilities, fashion brands, and textile manufacturers still assume that producing apparel in Canada automatically qualifies their products for CUSMA (USMCA) duty-free treatment. Unfortunately,...

In 2025, cross-border trade between the U.S. and Canada has entered a new era. With the U.S. phasing out its $800 de minimis threshold, new enforcement task forces targeting import fraud, and tightened documentation rules across North America, trade compliance has never been more critical. For Canadian importers and exporters, this means one thing: the days of “just ship it” are over. If your truck doesn’t have a licensed customs broker...