Profile: Geoff Greenfield

Working abroad to protect Canada’s border

Geoff Greenfield works in London, England, to make sure that Canada’s border is secure.

Geoff is one of 55 migration integrity officers of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) who are stationed at 45 locations overseas. They work to “push the border out” by monitoring flights bound for Canada to identify imposters and to stop illegal migration.

Deploy officers overseas

Last year about 4,500 people without proper documents were intercepted on their way to Canada. Based on the success of our approach, other countries have followed our lead and have deployed their own officers overseas.

Geoff explains his role in simple terms. “We’re stationed here to serve Canada’s interests.” 

There is no such thing as a typical day in his line of work, Geoff says. “This job re-invents itself every day. You have to be flexible, strategic and ready to adapt.”

Solving puzzles

“Every case is a new puzzle to solve. How has the forger altered this passport? What is the real purpose of this person’s travel? Each time I’m able to solve one of these puzzles, it’s extremely satisfying.”

With 300-plus direct flights from his assigned region to Canada each week, Geoff can’t monitor all of the flights on his own, so training others is a critical component of his job. He teaches airline staff, security agents and law-enforcement officers about Canadian visa requirements, and trains them to detect false documents and those travelling under a false identity.

He also works to build a strong rapport with local authorities. He liaises with airport officials to share intelligence and conducts investigations to help with visa applications. He also feeds information back to airlines, responds to information requests from CBSA and immigration officers in Canada, captures data and analyzes statistics.

Crucial to security

Information gathered from migration integrity officers is crucial to Canada’s security. Visa offices, consulates and CBSA intelligence officers can use it to identify organized patterns of fraud, spot passport abuses and get advance information that may help in other investigations.

Geoff is very proud to represent Canada overseas.

“Whether I’m analyzing regional migration trends or facilitating the travel of a Canadian in distress, this job allows me to meet people from all walks of life and to make a real contribution to my country.”

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