On March 17, 2022, the Canadian government announced that the country will end its pre-entry COVID-19 testing requirement for all fully vaccinated* travelers arriving via land, air, or water, beginning on April 1, 2022.

Canada’s Minister of Health, Jean Yves-Duclos, noted as part of the announcement that “as vaccination levels and healthcare system capacity

In order to reduce the spread of COVID-19, many countries have imposed both inbound and outbound restrictions on international travel. These restrictions can affect the ability of foreign national residents to reenter their host countries after even brief trips abroad. With the holidays approaching, resident foreign nationals who wish to travel outside their host countries must plan well in advance to ensure compliance with all departure and reentry requirements. Failure to do so could negatively affect their immigration status.
Continue Reading COVID-Related Departure and Reentry Requirements: Plan Ahead for International Travel

Effective October 30, 2021, Canada will require all adults traveling in the country by rail or air to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The requirements apply to those traveling within Canada and to those departing from Canada for international destinations. The new rules apply to all persons ages 12 and up.
Continue Reading Canada to Institute New Vaccination Requirements for Domestic & International Travel

Canada.  Today the Canadian Government announced rules further restricting international travel. According to the government’s press release:

  • Flight suspension.  All flights to and from Mexico and Caribbean countries suspended until April 30, 2021, in effect as of Sunday, January 31, 2021.
  • Routing Through Four Canadian Airports.  Effective midnight (11:59 PM EST) February 3, 2021, in addition to proof of a negative pre-departure test, all international flights will land at only four airports: Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto Pearson, Calgary, and Vancouver.  The new restrictions will include scheduled commercial passenger flights arriving from the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, which were exempted from the previous restriction.
  • Testing and Hotel Stay Upon Arrival.  All arriving air travelers must reserve a room in a government-approved hotel for three nights at their own cost, and take a COVID-19 molecular test on arrival at their own cost.  The timing for implementation of this requirement has not been made clear at the time of this writing.
  • Testing for Land-Crossing.  Travelers crossing by land will be required to test negative 72-hours prior to arrival, with limited exceptions such as commercial truckers.

Continue Reading Travel Bans by Canada and the United Kingdom Broadened, In Ongoing Virus Containment Efforts

The end of 2020 witnessed an alarming spread of multiple COVID-19 variants, including strains that first emerged in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Record high COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations were reported at similarly alarming rates, leading governments to take drastic action. In our December 22, 2020 blog, we reported on the travel restrictions imposed across multiple countries and regions across the globe, a trend that has continued at a rapid pace as governments fight to contain the spread of the virus. Some countries target travelers from the United Kingdom; others outright ban all foreigner visitors.

In North America, the United States and Canada have taken the additional step to now require negative COVID-19 tests.
Continue Reading Negative COVID-19 Tests Required by the United States and Canada

The Canadian government has now published guidance for travelers on the scope of the US-Canada border closure. Last month, the United States and Canada announced that the two countries would jointly and temporarily close the border, until April 20, 2020, to non-essential travel in an effort to limit the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).