Canada updates U.S. travel advice: “expect scrutiny,” electronic devices could be searched

Heading to the United States? You may want to review Canada’s updated travel advice first.

The Canadian government quietly updated its advice to travellers heading south of the border late Friday (April 4).

In its latest notice, the government reminds Canadians that it cannot intervene if U.S. border agents deny travellers entry.

“Individual border agents often have significant discretion in making those determinations. U.S. authorities strictly enforce entry requirements.”

Ottawa’s notice also warns Canadians to “expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices.”

“Comply and be forthcoming in all interactions with border authorities. If you are denied entry, you could be detained while awaiting deportation,” it added. “If you are denied entry, you could be detained while awaiting deportation.”

Canada says it obtained the new information from U.S. authorities. “It can, however, change at any time,” the notice reads.

The update comes after Canadians and other travellers have been detained at U.S. immigration facilities after being denied entry.

Agents at U.S. Border Patrol have long have the power to search travellers' personal belongings, but this latest guidance comes as an extra warning as each countries’ long-friendly relationship falls apart under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump’s war on trade.

Outside of a border crossing, law officials need a search warrant to look through a phone or laptop. But U.S. Border Patrol officers can look through a travellers’ cell phone, check comments made on social media and review a laptop, without a warrant.

They can also take devices or download all of their contents.

"For many people, the phone is a window into the soul. It's got your letters to your spouse, it's got your calendar showing all the people you've met with. And so for many people, they might want to take precautions to keep that information secure," Adam Schwartz, a privacy litigation director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, based in San Francisco, told CBC News.

Based on last year’s statistics, having an electronic device searched at the U.S. border is rare.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection stats show that 0.1 per cent of people crossing the border had their electronic devices searched in 2024. Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the United States was in January 2025.

The Canadian government's current risk rating for travel to the U.S. is still set to low, telling Canadians to keep taking "normal security precautions."

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