Travel to the United States by road, rail and sea could undergo a major revamp as a result of an agreement set to be announced today between Canada and the U.S.
A U.S. government advisory says Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson will announce a pre-clearance customs agreement at a ceremony in Washington.
The governments have been negotiating a legal arrangement that would allow customs agents into each other’s countries — so that they can screen passengers away from the border, and ease the choke points there.
That process already exists in air travel, at eight airports.
People can clear U.S. customs in cities like Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal and then, when they land, skip lines in U.S. airports.