The novel corona virus pandemic has had a significant affect on many aspects of life around the globe. It has had a huge impact both economically and socially, especially for those who need to travel internationally whatever the reason for that travel may be. For immigration, this restricted movement has meant that many have had to cancel or rethink their plans to move abroad. More than a year into lockdown, these restrictions don’t seem to be coming to an end anytime soon. In fact, on January 29th, 2021, the Canadian government has put into place more restrictions on its own citizens movement outside of the country.
To protect Canadians from the outbreak of COVID-19, the Prime Minister announced travel restrictions that limit travel to Canada. Until further notice, most foreign nationals cannot travel to Canada, even if they have a valid visitor visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA).
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/travel-restrictions-exemptions.html
Here’s what you should know.
New Restrictions
Since the government announced new travel restrictions on January 29th, 2021 a few additional measures have been added.
Travelers will then have to wait up to three days at a government-approved hotel for their test results, at their own expense, which Trudeau said is expected to be more than $2000.
CBC News
After receiving a negative test travelers will than be allowed to finish their mandatory 14 day quarantine in the location specified in their quarantine plan. In addition, travelers must show negative Covid-19 test results before entering at the land border with the United States.
Covid-19, an Ever Evolving Pandemic
Canada has been actively responding to the changing situation of the pandemic as new COVID-19 variants emerge. The rules on travel restrictions are constantly changing as the pandemic gets worse. Recent Covid-19 variants arriving from Brazil and South Africa have caused the government to rethink their existing restriction to further protect the population from these new threats. The Canadian government is now trying to eliminate people from coming into Canada by implementing new rules on travelers.
Recently, the Canadian government has announced that travelers need to provide a negative COVID-19 testing result prior to boarding planes. Travelers now, who want to enter Canada need to also provide a quarantine plan, a receipt for their ArriveCan application, and the negative COVID-19 test result.
Quarantine plan:
Before coming to Canada travelers must have a made their own quarantine plan to be approved by the border agency. If you do not have one, or if your plan does not meet the requirements set out by the Canadian Government, you may be denied entry into Canada. All those entering the country must quarantine for at least 14 days. The list of requirements is extensive, so we recommend you follow this link to find a full list of details.
The maximum penalties for not following the quarantine and other Canadian health guidelines are, 6 months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines.
Foreign nationals who are eligible to travel to Canada
Even with all of these restrictions in place, there are still exceptions to allow some to come to Canada. These include,
- an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen
- an extended family member of a Canadian citizen
- temporary foreign workers
- some international students
If you would like to know more about travel exemptions, what the restrictions are for the program you would like to enter, or even what immigration program is best for you, click through to the link to get in touch with one of our agents.