Networking at ICPA 2023
On June 13 & 14, 2023, John Leis, Director – Client Relations, attended the International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA) 2023 Conference, held this year at The Hilton in Toronto, Canada. ICPA is a non-profit, global trade compliance community, whose mission is to provide networking opportunities and resources to individuals involved in international trade compliance.
Following this year’s event Mr. Leis commented, “ICPA offers its members a unique and invaluable opportunity to assemble and share information. Gatherings of this nature are designed to provide members of our compliance community; Importers, Exporters, Customs Brokers and Law Professionals, a venue to collaborate and make sense of the high paced and ever evolving complexities of international trade compliance. In person opportunities like these were sorely missed during the pandemic.”
For more information, contact John Leis, Director – Client Relations.
Left to right: John Leis with Devon Jarvis, Christina Mifflin and
Harold Perrault of Turf Care Products Limited.
Are you on the list of customs verification priorities?
The latest semi-annual list of verification priorities for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has been released.
New to the list are Freezers and Other Freezing Equipment, Heading 84.18 and Washers and Dryers, Headings 84.50 and 84.51, both of which were added as verification priorities in May 2023:
The list also includes additional rounds for items that have appeared on previous lists:
- LED Lamps (Round 2) – Heading 85.39
- Furniture for non-domestic purposes (Round 4) – Headings 94.01 and 94.03
- Parts of machines and mechanical appliances (Round 2) – Heading 84.79
- Pickled vegetables (Round 5) – Heading 20.01
- Bags (Round 2) – Heading 42.02
- Spent Fowl (Round 3) – Headings 02.07, 16.01 and 16.02
- Cell phone cases (Round 3) – Headings 39.26, 42.02 and 85.17
When a verification priority has been completed (or additional rounds added due to high levels of non-compliance), the CBSA posts the risk assessment and general verification results. As an example, see below in regards to the misclassification of Spent fowl:
With respect to valuation, there is one continued item:
- Apparel (Round 4) – Chapters 61 and 62
For origin, there are no active verification priorities at this time.
CBSA also maintains a historical verification priorities list, which should be reviewed by all importers as they will likely circle back to these reviews in order to ensure compliance.
The next list of priorities is expected in January 2024.
For more information, contact Brian Rowe, Director – Customs Compliance & Regulatory Affairs.
CARM update
All importers must register for CARM… have you?
Although CARM (CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management) Release 2 (scheduled release date of October 2023) might possibly be delayed until May 2024 (pending formal confirmation from Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)), take the time now to join the other 31,747 importers who have already registered in the CARM Portal and ensure you are able to import once Release 2 comes into effect.
As customs brokers we are used to managing change, especially new CBSA initiated programs. In most cases, we manage these changes behind the scenes. Our clients rightfully expect that we will take care of everything on their behalf – and we do. CARM , however, is one of the first Customs initiatives that absolutely requires importer engagement.
In previous issues of Route we identified the 4 key aspects of registering for CARM (CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management):
All importers to Canada (whether resident or non-resident) must take certain steps – if not, they simply won’t be able to import into Canada once CARM Release 2 comes into effect (scheduled for October 2023). Universal Logistics will help our clients along the road to CARM to ensure a smooth transition.
Here’s what you need to know to get ready…
- Identify your company’s Business Account Manager(s) – BAM
- Register your business in the CARM Client Portal
- Delegate authority to your customs broker
- Secure a Release of Goods Bond – Release 2 (scheduled for October 2023)
For more details on CARM and for tips on how to get ready – visit our website – or speak with your Universal Logistics Client Care representative.
Global Spotlight Quiz
Name the city with a sea fortress that is a UNESCO World Heritage site
- The capital city of the world’s happiest country and one of the coldest cities in the world.
- Hosted the Summer Olympics in 1952.
- Also known as ‘The White City of the North’.
- There are saunas everywhere, including hotels, leisure centres and office buildings.
- Features a church inside a rock – Temppeliaukio Church.
Answer: Helsinki, Finland
Suomenlinna fortress is situated on a
group of islands off our mystery city.
For more information about shipping freight to or from this city, contact Debbie McGuire, Director – Freight Solutions.
Quick Tip
Carefully inspect all freight to identify deficiencies in packaging
Problems that seem small at the time of loading can get much worse in transit, sometimes resulting in damage to the entire load. For example, a small leak can contaminate the whole shipment; a collapsed carton can let the whole shipment move around enough to damage many other cartons.
Proper packaging helps protects your shipments from preventable cargo losses.
At Your Service:
Vincent Kwong
Manager – Ocean Services
Vincent Kwong joined Universal’s Ocean Services team at Head Office in July of 2018, where he focused mainly on coordinating ocean imports.
His role evolved quickly and Vincent soon became involved with ocean exports, airfreight and our US Freight services, allowing him to gain valuable insight into key aspects of our freight operations.
In May 2021, Vincent took on the position of Team Leader – Ocean Services, continuing his involvement in a multitude of areas of operations, while at the same time mentoring and providing guidance to new team members as they learned their roles.
Vincent Kwong
Manager – Ocean Services
In July 2023, Vincent was promoted to Manager – Ocean Services. In this new role, Vincent will focus on the management of our Ocean Services team, while also providing insight and support to other teams such as Freight Pricing, Freight Solutions as well as Client Relations and Business Development.
Vincent can be reached by phone (905) 882-4880, ext. 1201 or by email.
SMART Logistics
Controlling how freight moves through your supply chain could save you thousands – or more.
Working with us means someone always asks: how can we make this shipment better?
Single-sourced trucking, customs clearance and distribution to expedite your freight shipments between the U.S. and Canada.
Route is produced monthly for the clients of Universal Logistics. Reader comment and story ideas are welcome. Comments of general interest to all Route readers will, with the permission of the writer, be published. Copyright © 2023 Universal Logistics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction for any commercial use is strictly prohibited.
Route is produced by Universal Logistics. Editor: Bettina Scharnberg. Email: bscharnberg@universallogistics.ca While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information contained herein, Universal Logistics accepts no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions. Written correspondence should be forwarded to:
Universal Logistics Inc.
125 Commerce Valley Drive West
Suite 750, Thornhill, Ontario L3T 7W4
Tel: 905-882-4880 Fax: 905-882-2250
Attention: Bettina Scharnberg
