Canada Extends Travel Restrictions - Int’l Students’ Return Depends on Their University

Canada has decided to extend travel restrictions until June 21, meaning that all non-essential travel will be halted until then, including travel between Canada and the United States.

According to Erudera.com, this time, the country does not exclude vaccinated travelers from the restrictions, as the testing and quarantine obligation will remain in effect until further notice.

Earlier in February, Trudeau’s government announced that all travelers who will enter Canada will be obliged to undergo a PCR test at the airport upon their arrival and will also face quarantine rules.

The latter will have to wait for the results at an approved hotel for up to three days, while those who test negative are obliged to self-isolate for two weeks and undergo another test on the 10th day. The government stated that travelers could perform the test at home “under significantly increased surveillance and enforcement.”

Only certain groups will be exempted from travel restrictions which include:

• Canadians
• Permanent residents & family members
• Select temporary foreign workers
• International students

As per international students’ return to Canada, they will be allowed to enter the country if their learning institutions already have an approved COVID-19 readiness plan.

“We’re all eager to get back to normal, but we know that before we get back to normal, cases need to be under control, and over 75% of people need to be vaccinated,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on May 18, suggesting to reopen the southern border with the United States once three-quarters of citizens in Canada are vaccinated.

Until now, more than 45 percent of Canadians have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination.

As of this month, a total of 90,000 international student graduates, essential workers, and French-speaking applicants will be able to become permanent Canadian citizens as the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) presented six programs opening the way for citizenship to all these categories. The deadline to submit these applications is November 5 or until the required number of applications is received.

Nevertheless, the Migrant Rights Network said that the new Canadian immigration program for international students and essential temporary workers excludes many of the targeted categories. The Migrant Rights Network has carried out an online survey between April 15 and May 1, which has shown that 45 percent of migrant workers and 35 percent of international student graduates were not eligible for the new government program.