Canada to allow certain groups to enter country
International students, extended family to get the OK
The federal government will begin allowing international students and extended family members back in to Canada later this month.
Starting Oct. 20, international students will be allowed to return if they will be attending a designated learning institution that has a strict provincially approved COVID-19 safety plan in place.
The government said it will also extend visits to family members of Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents, including those in an exclusive dating relationship that has lasted for at least one year — which will have to be proven by a notarized declaration — and their dependent children, as well as adult children, grandchildren, siblings and grandparents.
“The pandemic is an ongoing threat and we need to continue to be cautious and restrictive about who can enter into Canada,” Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said. “We recognize, however, that these restrictions should not keep loved ones apart.”
The border between Canada and the U.S. has been closed since March to non-essential travel because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mandatory quarantine measures, which require travellers to quarantine for 14 days upon entry to Canada, will remain in effect. In a news release, the federal government says 190 federal public health officers will be sent to cover 36 ports of entry as part of a plan to enhance safety measures.
The process of how they will be able to enter will be published online soon and those who have the needed documentation can arrive beginning Oct. 8.
While that might give hope for family reunions for Thanksgiving, Mendicino said nobody should make travel plans until they've been authorized under the new program.
It will also be allowing people to come across the border on compassionate reasons in specific circumstances, such as to see a dying loved one.
Those granted compassionate entry may also be exempt from the current 14-day quarantine requirement, pending discussions with local health officials.
Some of those barred from Canada had been putting pressure on the government in recent weeks to ease the rules, with many coming forward with heartbreaking stories of children having to say goodbye to their dying parents over video chat or siblings unable to enter the country to care for ill family members.