At midnight on March 20, 2020, in an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, Canada and the United States closed their shared border to non-essential travel for a period of thirty (30) days (which can be extended to a longer period of time). “Non-essential” travel includes travel that is considered tourism or recreational
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COVID-19 and the Trade Community
There are a bunch of other things going on when it comes to international trade, but the most concerning topic right now is the coronavirus or COVID-19. From a purely business continuity perspective, we are receiving lots of inquiries around the following question: “Can we get out of our contracts by invoking the force majeure
US CBP is suspending NEXUS memberships for failure to report exports of vehicles
We have recently become aware of 4 cases where individuals (mostly Canadians) have been notified that their NEXUS memberships have been cancelled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“U.S. CBP”) because they failed to declare the export of a vehicle from the United States. The three scenarios where this has arisen are:
1) A Canadian
New Revisions to the CCPA
The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) took effect on January 1, 2020. In October 2019, the California Attorney General (“CA AG”) published proposed regulations. In the lead up to January 1, 2020, the CA AG repeatedly made the point that those subject to the CCPA should plan for compliance with its broad principals by the
E-Commerce and Counterfeit Goods
On January 31, 2020, President Trump issued Executive Order 13904 (“EO”) entitled “Ensuring Safe & Lawful E-Commerce for US Consumers, Businesses, Government Supply Chains, and Intellectual Property Rights.” It begins by stating that e-commerce is “being exploited by traffickers to introduce contraband into the United States, and by foreign exporters and United States importers to
That Was the Month That Was!
Originally published by the Journal of Commerce in February 2020
In the early 1960’s, there was a televisions show called “That Was the Week That Was!” While it was intended as a satire, the events of the last month or so have been breathtaking, focusing, as we do, even on just on trade issues. With
Department of Homeland Security Suspends New York Residents From Enrolling in Global Entry and Other Trusted Traveler Programs
Written with Benjamin Lau – Published February 5, 2020
New York residents may no longer be able to enroll (or re-enroll) in Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler Programs, according to recent action by the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”).
On February 5, 2020, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf announced DHS was suspending enrollment
China – U.S. Phase 1 Deal: Is It Enough?
Originally published in January 2020
China and the U.S. signed the so-called Phase 1 deal on January 15, 2020. Much has been said in the general press and elsewhere about this deal. What does it really accomplish for international traders?
First, there is nothing said about the tariffs imposed by either the U.S. or China.
China – U.S. Phase 1 Deal – Means What?
Originally published in the Journal of Commerce in January 2020
As has been widely publicized, China and the U.S. signed the so-called Phase 1 deal on January 15, 2020. The agreement runs 90+ pages, the text of which can be found here: Phase 1 Deal.pdf. The supporting U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued Fact Sheets
Happy Holidays/Busy Week
Originally published by the Journal of Commerce in December 2019
While there are those who think the only thing going on in Washington, D.C. these days is the impeachment hearings, activities this week belie that conclusion. In the recent flurry, we saw progress on two key issues – the China 301 tariffs and the USMCA