Canada Loosens Quarantine Requirements for Certain Vaccinated Travellers

This blog is co-written by Eric Noble-Marks (Harvard Law Student and Summer Law Student for Moodys Tax)

As of July 6, 2021, certain fully vaccinated travellers will be able to enter Canada without a period of mandatory quarantine. Public Health Canada has just announced the easing of border measures for certain travellers entering Canada, much to the relief of Canadian businesses, business travellers, and snowbirds.

What’s New?

Certain travellers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are currently eligible to enter Canada will no longer be subject to a compulsory quarantine or a government-mandated hotel stay. These eligible travellers will also not have to complete a mandatory at-home COVID test on their eighth day in Canada.

To qualify as fully vaccinated, travellers must have received the full series of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the government of Canada (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or AstraZeneca) or a combination of these vaccines at least fourteen days before entering Canada. Those seeking to take advantage of the new quarantine exemptions must provide satisfactory evidence of their vaccination status by uploading proper documentation (in English or French) onto the ArriveCAN app or website before departure to Canada.

What Hasn’t Changed?

Foreign nationals who are ineligible to enter Canada under current restrictions will remain ineligible after July 6 and non-essential travel is still forbidden.

The following travellers may be eligible to travel to Canada:

• Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents, and those registered under the Indian Act;
• Dual Citizens with valid Canadian passports or special authorization;
• Immediate family members of Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents, or those registered under the Indian Act, provided they intend to remain in Canada for fifteen days or more;
• Extended family members, including siblings and exclusive romantic partners, of Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents, or those registered under the Indian Act, provided they intend to remain in Canada for fifteen days or more and receive written authorization from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC);
• Those who receive permission from the Public Health Agency of Canada to travel to the country for emergency or human reasons, such as the death of a loved one;
• Temporary foreign workers; and
• Some international students.

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In addition, all travellers to Canada must still provide proof of a negative PCR test taken within seventy-two hours of their scheduled flight or arrival at a Canadian land border. All travellers must also be ready take a COVID-19 test at the border or point of entry and prepare a quarantine plan in case they are declared ineligible for a quarantine exception. Travellers who are not fully vaccinated remain subject to a mandatory fourteen-day quarantine and testing requirements, as well as a mandatory hotel stay if they travel to Canada by air.

Stay tuned for the latest from the Moodys immigration team as we closely monitor these restrictions and other significant changes in US and Canadian immigration.