The Notice
CBSA posted UPDATE 46 on May 6 at 09:50 ET: outbound EDI and eManifest portal messages are delayed by one to three hours. Inbound processing is unaffected. The agency is receiving and queuing your data; the reply messages are slow.
Most delay notices are noise. This one has teeth if you work tight windows.
What "Outbound" Means
Outbound messages include PARS release numbers, cargo release notifications, examination holds, request-for-documents (RFD) flags, and payment confirmations under CARM. Inbound is your broker sending the CAD, the carrier lodging the ACI or eManifest, the importer uploading a CITA permit. That side still moves. The problem is the reply.
If your broker files a CAD at 15:00 on a Friday afternoon and you're waiting for the PARS number to dispatch the truck, a three-hour delay pushes you to 18:00. Most carriers stop answering after 17:00. The container sits until Monday. A one-hour slip is tolerable. Three hours on a late-week file turns into a weekend.
Where It Hurts
PARS and RMD rely on that outbound release message. Release Prior to Payment under CARM still needs the CAD acknowledgment and the RPP bond debit confirmation before the cargo control document updates to "released." If the K84 monthly statement reconciliation is lagging and your broker hasn't seen the debit post, some will hold dispatch until the portal confirms. A three-hour queue means three hours of uncertainty.
Examination notices are also outbound. If CBSA flags a container for physical exam and the notice sits in the outbound queue for two hours, your broker may not know until mid-afternoon that the file won't clear same-day. That's the difference between a next-morning delivery and a two-day slip if the exam doesn't happen until the following business day.
CITA and CFIA permits uploaded through the CARM Client Portal trigger outbound validation messages. If the system accepts the document but the confirmation is delayed, some brokers will wait rather than file the CAD blind. That's another hour or two of dwell if the importer uploaded late.
Filing Strategy While It Lasts
File early. If your usual window is 14:00 to 16:00, move it to 11:00 to 13:00 while the delay persists. The one-to-three-hour buffer gives you the same effective release time you're used to.
If you're an NRI (Non-Resident Importer) and your broker is in Eastern time, confirm they're adjusting their internal cutoffs. A Vancouver-based logistics coordinator often doesn't see the delay until the trucker calls at 17:00 Pacific wondering why the release number isn't in the system.
For perishables and time-sensitive freight moving through Montreal, talk to your warehouse operator about holding dock space. If the PARS release is delayed and the drayage appointment window closes, the container diverts to sufferance. A three-hour portal delay can cost you a day of cold storage and a rescheduled delivery.
SIMA and AD/CVD Filings
Subject goods under SIMA require the Normal Value (NRM) and the dumping margin calculated on the CAD before release. If CBSA's outbound acknowledgment is slow and your broker is waiting for the provisional duty amount to confirm before advising the client, that three-hour window stretches the entire clearance cycle. Most brokers file and move on, but if you're importing steel, aluminum, or other subject goods with volatile margins, some will wait for the system to echo back the duty line before calling it clean.
The same applies to CUSMA origin verifications. If CBSA requests a certificate of origin or manufacturer affidavit and the RFD notice is delayed outbound, your broker may not know the file is on hold until the next business day. By then, the importer's already called twice asking why the freight isn't moving.
What CBSA Isn't Saying
The advisory says "one to three hours." That's the median. We've seen four-hour lags on the tail end of these incidents before they get updated to "resolved." If you're filing at 16:00 and the delay stretches to four hours, you're past close of business for most dispatch teams.
CBSA also doesn't specify which service areas or transaction types are hit hardest. In past portal slowdowns, high-volume commercial release messages (PARS, RMD) tend to queue longer than lower-volume OGD notifications. If you're clearing consumer goods through the GTA or Montreal, expect to feel it more than a small parcel clearance in Halifax.
When It Ends
The notice has been live since April 25. We're now at May 6, and it's still marked "UPDATE 46," meaning CBSA has revised it repeatedly without closing the ticket. That suggests the root cause isn't a quick fix. Until the agency posts an "issue resolved" update, assume the delay persists.
Most CBSA portal degradation notices last anywhere from a few hours (fiber cut, database failover) to a few weeks (software rollout, CARM module deployment). This one has lasted twelve days so far. If you haven't already, tell your broker to factor the lag into their filing calendar and confirm they're monitoring the CSCB digest for the close-out notice.
What to Tell Your Carrier
If your trucker is used to getting the PARS number thirty minutes after the broker files, warn them it's now up to three and a half hours. Some carriers build their dispatch windows assuming fast turnaround. A surprise delay turns into a missed pickup, a detention charge, or a rescheduled delivery.
For drayage out of the Port of Montreal, coordinate with your freight partner on appointment windows. If the terminal gate closes at 16:00 and the PARS release doesn't come through until 15:45, the driver may not make it. That container sits another day, and you're paying daily storage.
The Bigger Picture
CARM was supposed to stabilize portal performance by moving financial transactions off the legacy CAD system and onto the new platform. The Release Prior to Payment model and the monthly K84 reconciliation were designed to decouple release speed from payment processing. A three-hour outbound message delay suggests the queuing and notification layer still has scaling problems.
We've filed thousands of CADs since CARM went live. Inbound submission is reliable. The acknowledgment and release confirmation loop is where the system bogs down under load. If you're planning a large-volume import week (end-of-quarter restocking, seasonal freight), assume the portal will lag and file a day earlier than you normally would.
The one-to-three-hour delay isn't catastrophic, but it tightens every margin in the clearance process. If your current workflow assumes same-day release on a 15:00 file, you're now gambling. Get in touch if you want to walk through filing windows and release timing that actually hold up when the portal doesn't.
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Originally published at https://www.canflow-global.com/en/insights/cbsa-portal-delay-what-one-to-three-hours-actually-costs-you/.
