Modification of Entry Restrictions to Canada for International Students (Covid Update – July 5, 2021)

Who is affected by the quarantine exemption when arriving in Canada?

The Canadian government has announced new regulations for entering Canada, including exemption from mandatory quarantine. However, this new regulation only concerns travelers who meet certain specific criteria. To be exempted from the mandatory isolation period, an international student must meet the following conditions:

  • He must be eligible to enter Canada.
  • He must not have symptoms of COVID-19 (he must be asymptomatic).
  • They must have received a complete set of a COVID-19 vaccine approved in Canada, or an approved combination of COVID-19 vaccines, at least 14 days before the date of entry into Canada (see list of approved vaccines below).
  • They must present a vaccination certificate in English or French, or a sworn translation into English or French.
  • They must take a molecular COVID-19 test 72 hours before arriving in Canada and obtain confirmation that the result is negative.
  • Before leaving, he must provide a backup quarantine plan, in case the immigration officer does not validate the quarantine exemption upon arrival in Canada.
  • He must comply with all other entry requirements, including entering all the necessary information when completing the Arrivecan application before his trip.

VACCINES AUTHORIZED IN CANADA:

  • Pfizer (Comirnaty, Tozinameran, BNT162b2) – two doses
  • Moderna (mRNA-1273) – two doses
  • AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria, AZD1222, Covishield) – two doses
  • Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) – one dose

VACCINES CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTED IN CANADA FOR A FULL VACCINE REGIMEN:

  • Bharat Biotech (Covaxin, BBV152 A, B, C)
  • Cansino (Convidecia, Ad5-nCoV)
  • Gamalaya (Sputnik V, Gam-Covid-Vac)
  • Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV, Sinopharm-Wuhan)
  • Sinovac (CoronaVac, PiCoVacc)
  • Vector Institute (EpiVacCorona)
  • Other

Do vaccinated students need to have a backup quarantine plan?

All travellers, even if fully vaccinated, must have an adequate isolation plan in place. When completing the Arrivecan application, i.e. before leaving for Canada, they must indicate the exact address of the place where they will be able to quarantine, in the event that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) employee decides that they do not meet the quarantine exemption criteria.

How do I get a backup quarantine plan through Canada's Safe Study Corridor?

To help vaccinated international students prepare for their arrival in Canada, the Safe Study Corridor (CES) – Travel Safe operator can offer them a backup quarantine plan. This service has no cost and allows them to indicate the address of a quarantine hotel when they fill out the Arrivecan (https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante-publique/services/maladies/maladie-coronavirus-covid-19/arrivecan.html) application before their departure. The student will be able to activate the plan later, if their quarantine exemption is not validated upon arrival at Canadian customs.

To obtain the emergency quarantine plan through the Safe Study Corridor, vaccinated students must:

How does the Security Study Corridor emergency quarantine plan work?

The Corridor d'Étude Sécurité (CES) issues the emergency quarantine plan, which is free of charge, in the form of a letter. This contains all the relevant information and instructions, as well as the address of a hotel approved to isolate itself. The student will be able to enter this address when completing the Arrivecan application before departure.

Upon arrival in Canada, if the student does not meet the visa waiver criteria, the CBSA officer will instruct the student to book 3 nights in a government-approved hotel. He will have to activate as soon as possible his CES backup quarantine plan by following the instructions provided in the letter and sending an email.

The student will receive guided assistance through the online booking and payment process of their Safe Study Corridor quarantine plan. He will be able to meet the conditions of the remaining 11 days of his 14-day quarantine, after spending 3 days in a hotel approved by the Canadian government.

ATTENTION: If a student does not have an adequate quarantine plan, they may be refused entry to Canada and returned to their country of origin.

It is strongly recommended that students who decide to arrange their own quarantine use the Canadian government's Quarantine Plan Assessment Tool to determine whether their plan is acceptable or not.

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