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

As an importer, it is your responsibility to make yourself aware of the details surrounding CUSMA. This agreement, between Canada, the US, and Mexico, will replace NAFTA as of July 1st, 2020.  Last week, we published a quick introduction to the agreement, where we identify some of the criteria and the main differences between this and NAFTA. You can read it here: CUSMA/USMCA: Meet The New NAFTA.  It is recommended that readers also consul...

Health Canada was quick to act and streamline the movement of protective equipment, sanitizer products, medical devices, and other health-related goods, in the advent of the pandemic. They did this by leaning-out the regulatory requirements for the manufacturing and importing of these goods. Of course, Canada moved on this very promptly, citing an urgent need for these goods to combat the impacts of COVID-19 in the country.  In a piece publis...

By now, it’s clear that the pandemic will continue to have an impact on Canadian trade (and the global trade market at large). As such, we can expect some shifts on the Canadian economy as well.  We’ve seen a multitude of regulatory and operational issues pop up as a result of COVID-19. In order to better prepare for what’s to come, we wanted to take a look at some of the underlying and overt impacts on the importing, trade, and supply ...

In a mid-COVID market, Canadian importers are finding themselves operating on limited funds. However, Canada’s import and export controls are still required, as they have not been relaxed as a cautionary measure to protect businesses.  All things considered, the consumer demand for quick deliveries has not been curbed all that much by the pandemic. So the responsibility to act fast still rests on the shoulders of Canadian importers -- or th...

CBSA has announced a multi-year initiative, the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management Project (or CARM). The intention of this project is to modify the way that the collection of duties and taxes for imported goods takes place. CBSA promises that CARM will transform the way in which commercial goods are imported into Canada.  In an infographic shared by the agency, they lay out the benefits of the program as follows:  Make it easier for...

A new reference document for HS codes and classifications for critical medical supplies has been released. As such, we’ll be doing a quick overview of the document!  We will also briefly touch on Canada’s Interim Order Respecting the Importation and Sale of Medical Devices for Use in Relation to COVID-19. As the name suggests, it provides medical device manufacturers and importers with certain exemptions in order to increase the availabil...

The Canada Border Services agency (CBSA) has released a notice regarding the importation of medical supplies during the COVID-19 Crisis. The purpose of this notice is to inform the commercial importing community of the tariff classification numbers as well as eligibility for Duty and Tax relief during an emergency such as COVID-19. The entire Notice can be read here (https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/cn-ad/cn20-12-eng.html) The Followin...

As a customs brokerage and consultancy, we have an ear to the ground on what’s happening and how to navigate the situation with care. So we thought it would be a good opportunity to sit down with our Founder & President, Adam Lewis, virtually (of course!) to chat about the impact that the global pandemic has had on the import, logistics, and supply chain industry.  Meet Adam Lewis! We’re talking about the impact that COVID-19 has had C...

Early in the process of importing commercial goods into Canada, it is important to have an understanding of the information required by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Depending how far along you are in the import business, you may be familiar with Canada’s ACI eManifest program.  If you have not yet heard of the ACI eManifest program, we have previously covered the basics in a recent article: What is The ACI eManifest Program?  Her...

When running a successful importing business, it’s critical that you look for places in which you can streamline. Today, we’ll be looking at one of the programs put in place by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to help importers smooth out the importing process. Like with any kind of business ops, “streamlining” essentially means saving time and money, which can help your bottom line and push your business forward.  “Truly world-cl...