The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has established The Canada Border Services Agency Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) project as a multi-year initiative to transform the collection of duties and taxes for goods imported into Canada. The goal is to modernize and streamline the process of importing commercial goods. The outcome of the CARM project will affect all importers into Canada.
CARM Release 1 has already occurred and importers should be onboarding with the CARM Client Portal (CCP) that was launched in 2021. CBSA continues to run monthly webinars about the onboarding process. Registration information for future webinars follows:
- Tuesday, July 5th, 2022 • 1:00pm – 2:30pm EST • Register
- Tuesday, August 9th, 2022 • 1:00pm – 2:30pm EST • Register
CARM Release 2 was supposed to occur in the spring of 2022 and has now been delayed until at least May or October of 2023. CARM Release 2 will include features that allow for electronic commercial accounting declarations, harmonized billing cycles and electronic management of appeals and compliance actions. These changes should benefit the importing community.
CARM Release 2 will also introduce changes to the release prior to payment (RPP) security. See our previous article for more details.
CBSA has announced a Client Experience Simulation (CES) to allow the trade community an opportunity for a hands-on experience with the CARM solution and the CCP’s new functionalities. Volunteers will be placed into groups for a four to five week cycle. The goal of the CES is to inform future materials and engagements to aid the broader community in the transition to the new CARM solution. The deadline to register for participation has been extended to June 30, 2022. If you are interested, please contact the CARM Engagement Mailbox at: CBSA.CARM_Engagement-Engagement_de_la_GCRA.ASFC@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.
In addition to the onboarding webinars, CBSA has announced a series of webinars that will focus on the key changes to understand and prepare prior to Release 2 of the CCP. Registration information is below:
CBSA has conducted a webinar demonstrating the Electronic Bond Application Program Interface (API) for surety companies and providing information on the API enrollment process. As of CARM Release 2, each surety company must complete their enrollment in the Third Party – Surety Company program on the CCP in order to be qualified as a guarantor. An API key which is generated on the CCP is required to set up the integration with CARM. The surety company must have a BN9 number and if no BN9 exists, the company will be directed to complete the request form for a BN9. Once the application has been approved by the CBSA, the surety company will be assigned a BN15 and will be able to view and manage the surety bonds to which they act as guarantor on behalf of Trade Chain Partners (TCPs). Surety companies will have the ability to:
- View the list of approved bonds;
- View the list of bonds pending approval;
- Approve or reject bonds; and
- View and manage CBSA claims
The link to the PowerPoint presentation is: https://files.constantcontact.com/31203e1c701/d5359860-8078-412b-8ca5-34284464ef2d.pdf.
The Surety Association of Canada is in the process of compiling a list of questions to submit to the CBSA/CARM Project Team regarding the Bond API. As a result of this communication, we may see future changes to the enrollment process and the functionality of the CPP from a surety’s perspective.
If you have questions about your RPP bond or how CARM Release 2 will impact your company, please contact Sheila Thompson (sheila.thompson@suretybond.com / 416 218 1280).
