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As of June 8th, 2020, a traveler under a visitor visa is still not able to travel to Canada unless you are traveling for an essential purpose or you are an immediate family member (spouse or common-law partner, dependent child, a dependent child of a dependent child, parent or step-parent, or guardian/tutor) of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. An immediate family member will also need to stay for at least 15 days to respect the mandatory 14 days quarantine period. Note that it is important to obtain an authorization letter from IRCC if you are flying to Canada from a country other than the US. Failure to obtain the authorization letter can deny you entry to Canada even if you have a valid visitor visa.
Some international students are allowed to travel to Canada. You are exempted from travel restrictions if you are holding a valid study permit or was approved on or before March 18, 2020. A mandatory 14-days quarantine also applies. For students whose courses were moved to an online format, you can join your class from your home country and complete up to 50% of your program while outside Canada. For international students who are starting this Fall 2020, the courses you will complete from outside of Canada (for the fall semester) will not affect the length of your post-graduation work permit.
Some temporary foreign workers can travel to Canada if you are coming for an essential service. Under the Quarantine Act in place in Canada, essential refers to travel for reasons that are non-discretionary and non-optional.
Your travel is deemed essential if:
You have a valid work permit and normally live in Canada. This applies even if you have been laid-off.
You are a worker who
has a letter of introduction for a work permit (open or employer-specific), and
has a valid job offer, and
can work once you’ve completed your 14-day quarantine in Canada (unless you’re exempt: truck drivers)
Your travel is deemed non-essential if:
You have a letter of introduction for an employer-specific work permit, but your employer has closed their business due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
You have a letter of introduction for an open work permit, but you don’t have a job contract and are planning to find a job once you arrive in Canada.
Please note that the 14 days quarantine is MANDATORY and failure to follow your quarantine plan can result in the following penalties:
Up to CAD$ 750,000 fine
6 months of jail time
Inadmissibility, removal from Canada and banned from entering for 1 year
If you have inquiries or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at pierre@fidusimmigration.com or 403-471-8035. We are here to help during this challenging and confusing time. We, from Fidus immigration, wish you and your family well.