Canada, Ocean Arrivals (Form 30A), 1919-1924

This data collection contains individual declarations of passengers arriving at various Canadian ports between 1919 and 1924. The declarations were a standard pre-printed form called Form 30A. This form was in officially in use between June 1, 1921 and December 31, 1924 and was regulated by the Department of Immigration and Colonization. A form was to be completed for each passenger, including children. Exceptions were for passengers in transit to the U.S. The forms were then submitted to immigration officers upon arrival at the port of destination.

During its time in use, Form 30A was to be used in place of the large sheet passenger lists manifests. However, not all immigration offices began using the form at the same time. Some began using it as early as 1919, while others didn’t begin using it until 1922. Over the course of its short lifetime, Form 30A changed slightly, recording some different pieces of information on the earlier version of the form than in the later. Following the discontinuation of Form 30A at the end of 1924, the large sheet passenger list manifests were brought back.

Information listed on the form generally included:

• Ship
• Port of departure
• Arrival date
• Port of arrival
• Name of passenger
• Age
• Gender
• Birthplace
• Marital status
• Present occupation
• Intended occupation
• Race
• Citizenship
• Religion
• Object in going to Canada
• Whether intend to live permanently in Canada
• Destination
• Name of the nearest relative in country from which they came
• Passport information

These records originate from a microfilm collection held by Library and Archives Canada. The forms were originally microfilmed in a semi-alphabetical order by surname. This semi-alphabetical order has been preserved in this database and will help you locate an individual when you are sorting through images.

Please note: The front and backsides of a form do not appear on the same image as it is physically impossible to microfilm both sides of a form at the same time. In most cases, the backside of the form was microfilmed first, and then the front side. Therefore, when you find a form for a person of interest, you will need to use the “Previous” or “Next” arrow buttons in the image viewer in order to see both sides of the form.