Canadian Immigration News

Canada Lifts Travel Restrictions for Fully Vaccinated New Immigrants

2.25 minute read
"The Canadian government has finally allowed new permanent residents to travel to Canada after 15 months of border restrictions. These permanent residents will be allowed to immigrate when they arrive in Canada, provided they abide by all the public health measures for international travelers."
Written by My Visa Source Team
Published on:  Jul 20, 2021
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The Canadian government has finally allowed new permanent residents to travel to Canada after 15 months of border restrictions. These permanent residents will be allowed to immigrate when they arrive in Canada, provided they abide by all the public health measures for international travelers.

Canada’s Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced that new permanent residents will be able to travel to Canada from June 21, 2021. Previously, foreign nationals who received their Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) from the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) after March 18, 2020, were not exempt from the travel restrictions. This stopped their immigration journey as they couldn’t officially come to Canada to start their journey.

According to the IRCC, there are about 23,000 new permanent residents stuck outside Canada. However, the Canadian government has eased travel restrictions for fully-vaccinated individuals and new permanent residents with valid COPRs.

What Do You Need to Know Before Traveling to Canada with a COPR?

The final decision to allow you to enter Canada depends on the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) official. Therefore, preparing in advance will help you avoid unnecessary delays.

International travelers must avoid coming to Canada if they exhibit any symptoms of the Covid-19 virus.

You can use the ArriveCan app to save important documents that you’ll be required to present to the CBSA official, including your quarantine plan, a negative Covid-19 test result, and any other travel documents. Currently, all travelers, even those who are fully vaccinated must have a plan for their mandatory quarantine requirement.

Generally, you will be required to quarantine at a place for 14 days. Therefore, you must have a plan to access food and other supplies. If you are traveling by air, then you will be required to stay at a government-approved hotel for 3 days to wait for the result of your Covid-19 test.

However, if you are fully vaccinated with one of the accredited vaccinations in Canada, then you can skip the mandatory quarantine requirement. Currently, Canada is accepting AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

Who Can Skip the Mandatory Quarantine Requirement?

According to the Canadian government, all fully vaccinated travelers will be exempt from the mandatory quarantine requirement starting July 5, 2021. These travelers can simply quarantine themselves at their homes as they wait for their Covid-19 test result. Any children traveling who are not old enough to be vaccinated will still be required to quarantine for a full 14 days. However, they can do it at their home instead of staying at a government-approved hotel.

It is to be noted that unvaccinated travelers will still be subjected to previous travel and border restrictions. The IRCC recommends that all family members included on the permanent residence application travel to Canada together, at the same time.

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