Canada is cautiously opening its borders to fully vaccinated travelers starting on July 5, 2021, 11:59 pm EST. Only the eligible travelers who are fully vaccinated are allowed to enter Canada with no quarantine restrictions. This article discuses the updated policy on travel to Canada.
To begin, a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident or a foreign national eligible to enter Canada will not be subject to federal requirements to quarantine or take Covid-19 test on day 8 of entering Canada. In addition, fully vaccinated travelers arriving by air will not be required to stay at a government-authorized hotel.
To be considered fully vaccinated, a traveler must have received the full series of a vaccine — or combination of vaccines — accepted by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to entering Canada. Currently, those vaccines are manufactured by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). Travelers can receive their vaccine in any country, and must provide documentation supporting their vaccination in English, French or with a certified translation.
For these new measures to apply to them, fully vaccinated travelers must still meet all other mandatory requirements, including pre- and on-arrival testing. Continued testing will allow public health experts to keep monitoring positivity rates at the border, monitor for variants of concern, and make further adjustments to border measures as needed.
A fully vaccinated travelers must also be asymptomatic, have a paper or digital copy of their vaccination documentation, and provide COVID-19-related information electronically through ArriveCAN prior to arrival in Canada. They must still present a suitable quarantine plan, and be prepared to quarantine, in case it is determined at the border that they do not meet all of the conditions required to be exempt from quarantine. As with all other exempt travelers, they will be required to follow public health measures in place, such as wearing a mask when in public, keep a copy of their vaccine and test results, as well as a list of close contacts for 14 days after entry to Canada.
For travelers who are not fully vaccinated, there are no changes to Canada’s current border measures. They must continue to adhere to the current testing and federal quarantine requirements, which have been effective in reducing importation and transmission of COVID-19 and variants in Canada, and provide COVID-19-related information electronically through ArriveCAN before arriving in Canada. Unvaccinated air travelers must also book a three-night stay at a government-authorized hotel before their departure to Canada.
At NPZ, our U.S. and Canadian lawyers seek to assist clients with regard to employment and family immigration issues. If you or your friends or family should have any questions about any aspect of the Canadian Immigration Law, please feel free to contact us at info@visaserve.com or you can call our offices at 201-670-0006 (ext. 104). We look forward to being able to assist you
