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Appeals
When Customs Decisions Don't Go Your Way
When customs decisions don't go your way—whether a ruling, assessment, penalty, or refund denial—Dominion can help you challenge them effectively. Our consultants bring deep knowledge of customs legislation, policy, and appeal procedures, enabling us to identify errors, uncover supporting evidence, and build a strong, well-documented case on your behalf. By managing the entire review and appeal process, we improve the likelihood of a favourable outcome, relieve the pressure on your internal team, and make certain that every deadline and procedural requirement is met. A professional review often surfaces opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed.
What You Can Appeal
If you've received a ruling, decisions, or an assessment you don't agree with, you have the right to appeal. Most importers don't realize how often appeals succeed, and how much money is left on the table when they don't pursue one.
Our Appeals Department will review any decision you've received from CBSA at no cost and walk you through the options. Trade Lawyers and accounting firms typically charge significant fees for the same initial opinion. Customs brokers rarely have the in-house expertise to handle appeals and will refer the work to an affiliated trade lawyer. We review your file directly, at no cost. If we believe the appeal has merit, we'll explain the process, the realistic outcomes, and our fee structure. If we don't, we'll tell you that too.
In-House Expertise You Won't Find at a Brokerage
Our Appeals Department is built around a single objective: Understand the customs legislation with incredible depth – this is due to the extensive years of knowledge & experience in our team. We don't outsource appeals to outside counsel. We don't kick complex rulings up to a regional office. The team that drafts your ruling and argues your appeal is the team that has done it for the past four decades.
That depth lets us recognize when a CBSA officer's interpretation of the regulations stretches beyond what a Trade Tribunal would uphold. We've made that argument successfully many times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, at any stage. We support clients during the verification review notice stage, during the active review, at the interim report stage, and at the final report and appeal stage. See our Trade Verification Review Support Program for details.
The initial review of your CBSA decision is free. If we recommend proceeding with an appeal, we discuss the fee structure before you commit. We offer contingency based, fee based and a combined hybrid model depending on the scenario and complexity. You always control whether and how to proceed.