For those familiar with DHS and the infamous SSSS, can you be informed of your status as "DHS SELECTEE" in advance and asked to provide information on ESTA even as a Canadian citizen?
It seems to be that passengers are automatically with SSSS if they belong to this "selectee" list. I know that this means additional screening but I wonder if it also means providing information via the ESTA portal.
There is no way of knowing if you are on the "Selectee" list. The Department of Homeland Security states on their website :
How do I know if I am on a Government Watchlist?
Because revealing watchlist status could allow terrorist organizations to circumvent the watchlist’s purpose by permitting them to determine in advance which of their members are likely to be questioned or detained, the U.S. government’s general policy is to neither confirm nor deny a person’s watchlist status, except in very limited circumstances involving the No Fly List.
Note that being on the "Selectee" list will generally NOT impact your ability to travel to or within the US - it simply means that you will be required to undergo additional security screening before boarding some or all flights. It may also have an impact on your ability to check-in online, or to receive 'TSA Pre' access for other flights.
Having 'SSSS' on your boarding pass can occur regardless of your citizenship, or how you are entering the US (eg, VWP/ESTA, Visa, or even if you're a US citizen).
Whilst it's not possible to know if you are on such a list, it is possible to (in effect) get yourself removed from it. The DHS has a process called the "Traveler Redress Inquiry Program", or DHS TRIP. Despite the word "inquiry" in the name, this program does not allow you to inquire about your status, but instead gives you a path to request DHS to carry out additional investigation into you and the reason you have been given SSSS on a boarding pass. Based on their investigation, you may be removed from the Selectee or other lists.
As a part of the TRIP process you will give given a "Redress" number which can be given to the airline, and allows DHS to match you to the outcome of the TRIP process. eg, if you were on the list due to sharing a name/birthday with a known terrorist, then this number allows them to differentiate between you and that person when you are flying.
I suspect (but as mentioned above, have no way of proving!) that I was on the Selectee list for a while. I received SSSS on my boarding pass on every single flight into the US for a period of over half a year (a total of about 7 flights). After going through the TRIP process and getting my Redress number, I have only received SSSS on one additional flight in the past 6+ years, and I suspect that one was truly a "random" selection.
can you be informed of your status as "DHS SELECTEE" in advance and asked to provide information on ESTA even as a Canadian citizen?
No. Canadian citizens do not need ESTA, and it is not possible to apply for ESTA with a Canadian passport.
See https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov for a list of countries that are eligible for the visa waiver program, not including Canada. Canadians travel without visas thanks to a different section of the law, so they cannot apply for ESTA.
I know that this means additional screening but I wonder if it also means providing information via the ESTA portal.
No. The ESTA application is the same for everyone, except that it is available only to people who have a passport from a VWP country. Being on the selectee list means you'll get SSSS on your boarding pass (although it's also possible to get an SSSS boarding pass without being on the selectee list). Having a boarding pass with SSSS means that you will be subjected to extra screening before boarding. It has nothing to do with ESTA.
