Understanding the scale of CBSA’s operations puts your career decision in context. These numbers come from CBSA’s annual reports, parliamentary budget office analyses, and Budget 2025 documents.
The Agency
- 16,890 FTEs — CBSA’s total full-time equivalent workforce as of the most recent departmental results report
- ~10,000 members represented by the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU)
- 13 regions covering every province and territory
- 1,200+ points of entry across air, land, and marine modes
- $2.3 billion+ annual operating budget
People at the Border
- 82.3 million travellers processed annually (pre-pandemic peak; volume has recovered strongly post-2022)
- 17 million commercial releases processed per year
- ~400,000 asylum claims processed in recent high-demand years
- Approximately 1-in-30 applicants successfully complete the full BSO hiring process from application to offer
Enforcement Results (Recent Annual Figures)
- 52,238 drug seizures annually (approximate, varies year to year)
- $1.9 billion in estimated street value of drugs seized
- ~26,000 people found inadmissible and refused entry
- 12,000–15,000 removal orders executed annually
- Thousands of currency seizures at border crossings each year
The Hiring Picture
- 1,000 new BSOs committed in Budget 2025 — the largest single hiring surge in over a decade
- $617.7 million in Budget 2025 funding for border security and staffing
- ~2,000 officer shortage estimated by the CIU relative to full operational requirements
- 12–24 months — typical timeline from application to first posting
Key Ports by Volume
- Toronto Pearson (YYZ): Canada’s busiest international airport — 50M+ travellers annually at peak
- Windsor-Detroit corridor: Busiest commercial land crossing in North America — ~$323M USD in daily trade
- Vancouver International (YVR): Canada’s primary Pacific gateway, 26M+ passengers annually
- Montréal-Trudeau (YUL): Major hub for transatlantic and Caribbean routes
- Douglas/Pacific Highway (BC): Busiest passenger land crossings west of Ontario
Training
- ~600 recruits pass through the Rigaud OITP annually (varies with hiring cycles)
- 38–39 weeks — length of the residential OITP program
- 9 months — commonly cited training duration
- FB-01 — pay classification during training (~$62,000/year with accommodation included)
The Financial Case for This Career
- FB-02 base salary: ~$72,000–$78,000 (first posting level for most graduates)
- $100,000+ — achievable total compensation within 3–5 years including overtime and shift premiums
- $800–$1,000/year bilingual bonus for bilingual position holders
- Defined benefit pension — accruing from day one of employment
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