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International Students who can travel to Canada amidst COVID-19

Because of COVID-19, the situation right now is different. So, not everybody can come to Canada to study. You'll have to meet 2 requirements:

  • You must be entering Canada for an essential purpose. In other words, your travel must have a non-discretionary purpose.
  • You either must be travelling directly from USA or you must have a valid study permit approved on or before March 18, 2020.

Well, you must be wondering if your travel comes under essential purpose or not. So, here's how your travel to Canada can be considered non-discretionary or essential (as a student):

  1. If you already live in Canada
  2. If you must be present in Canada for your program (for laboratory work, workshops, or similar)
  3. If your school is unable to offer online study options
  4. If studying online from your home country isn't possible because of internet restrictions or bandwidth limitations
  5. If you aren't able to take part in live online classes from your home country because of the difference in time zones

However, the authority of making the final decision on whether you have a valid reason to travel to Canada is with a border services officer. The officer decides whether your travel to Canada is non-discretionary or not.

In case you are allowed to enter Canada:

As mentioned before, make sure you have enough proof that you are exempt from the travel restrictions. That means your travel must be for non-optional or non-discretionary purpose. The border services officer will ask you for the reason for travelling to Canada, and they will want to make sure that you’re able to complete a 14-day quarantine period as soon as you arrive at your actual destination. If you have to physically attend classes, you must have time to complete your quarantine before your classes begin.Otherwise, you must be able to study online during your quarantine.

You must bring a valid study permit. And if you are coming from the US, you'll need to bring a port of entry letter of introduction that shows you were approved for a study permit. If you are not from the US, you will have to bring a port of entry letter of introduction that shows you were approved for a study permit on or before March 18, 2020. However, it's better if you contact the Border Information Service before making decision. A border services officer will decide on whether you’re eligible to enter Canada when you arrive. So, you'd better prepare yourself before deciding to travel.


(This article is as per the information updated by IRCC on October 2, 2020.)



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