(a) For the period of January 1, 1996, until September 30, 1998, a total of 512 persons have been detected at Canadian ports of entry—airports and land borders—using passports containing an IMM 1000 previously issued to landed immigrants to Canada.
The department is unable to make an estimate of the total number of undetected persons.
(b) For the same period, 109 persons were detected at ports of entry in British Columbia. The department is unable to provide an estimate of the number of undetected persons.
(c) The top five countries for which such altered passports were most commonly detected are:
Pakistan, 91; Sri Linka, 65; India, 61; China, 52; and Lebanon, 38.
(d) While the department is not in a position to comment on where in B.C. the foreign passports containing IMM 1000 forms are being sold, altered or forged, CIC officials work closely with local enforcement agencies and the RCMP in any instance where there are reasons to believe that an individual has altered or counterfeited documents.