security

It now takes a passport to go between Canada and the United States. This must cost an insane amount, in money and time. Wouldn't it be more efficient to establish a visa clearinghouse, where each country can screen the other's visa applications? Then anyone living in Canada would have a right to visit the U.S., and vice versa. No passport requirements anymore. It doesn't seem likely that it's easier to illegally immigrate into Canada, and since Canadian citizens can already legally enter the U.S. without a visa, requiring them to show a passport doesn't accomplish anything. The only reason for keeping the passport requirement is because the U.S. knows that its visa procedures are inadequate, so it might as well add on an extra layer of security where it can, even at the cost of millions of man-hours and dollars lost every year.