International travel restrictions have been in effect since March 2020, and foreigners seeking to enter Canada have grown tired of them. Over the recent few weeks, the business community in Canada, lawmakers, and the US have increased pressure on the government to eliminate some of the travel restrictions by July.
Canada is relaxing its restrictions for fully vaccinated visitors.
Effective July 5, most international visa restrictions for vaccinated Canadians, PRs (permanent residents), and some foreign nationals will be lifted, letting those who qualify to visit more freely.
Travellers with emergency travel documents (ETDs) who are presently eligible to enter the country under the current restrictions and are fully vaccinated against COVID will soon be able to do so without having to:
- quarantine for two weeks
- take a COVID-19 test on the 8th day
- stay isolated at a government-approved hotel upon arrival
Before travelling to Canada, however, travellers must log in to the ArriveCAN app and submit their proof of COVID vaccination. In addition, this exemption is only valid for vaccines on the Health Canada-approved list. Only four main airports in Canada are currently accessible for international arrivals, i.e., Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary.
Following that, fully vaccinated travellers will be subjected to some testing. Travellers will still be needed to take a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 72 hours of departure and will still be required to take another COVID test upon arrival to the country.
Fully vaccinated travellers will not be required to stay in quarantine while waiting for their test results. However, they should have a confinement plan in place in the event they are found to be ineligible to enter Canada.
These changes, nevertheless, will not affect fully vaccinated foreign nationals visiting Canada for non-essential purposes, including those entering Canada from the US. Besides, Canadian travellers who are not fully vaccinated will also still be subject to the existing set of immigration and travel restrictions.
COPR-holders can now travel to Canada
As of June 21, foreign citizens with a valid COPR (Confirmation of Permanent Residence) can now enter Canada to activate their immigration status. Those who have a document that has expired will need to renew it before travelling.
If you are a holder of expired COPRs, IRCC will contact you soon to direct you on obtaining new documents. In due course, more information about when and how to accomplish this will be available. There will be no need for these people to go through the visa process again.
A COPR is a document IRCC issues to people who have been granted permission to immigrate to the country and become permanent residents. This indicates that the holder has fulfilled all the requirements, including:
- paying relevant fees
- passing health screening
- Passing security screening
- Passing criminality screening.
Canada has extended its travel ban on India.
Canada has extended the travel restriction on all direct business and passenger flights from India until July 21, 2021. However, Canada did not extend the travel restrictions for flights from Pakistan.
The travel ban for people from India was implemented on April 22, 2021, in response to increased COVID-19 cases in India, especially delta variants.
The restriction was initially supposed to run 30 days, from May 22 to May 22, but it was stretched for an additional thirty days, to June.
Only cargo planes from India delivering vaccines and protective gear will be permitted to land in Canada.
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