Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada declared on Friday that the country will reopen its borders to foreign students by 20 October 2020. Effectual of the date, those who are attending a Designated Learning Institution DLI can enter Canada. (A DLI is a school or college authorised by the government of Canada to host international students.)

IRCC point out that more information will be available on 8 October, and the ministry stated that, “Travellers should not make any travel plans until they have met all requirements and obtained all necessary authorisations to qualify to come to Canada under the new rules.”

Note: travel restrictions are not applicable for permanent residents as well as citizens.

“Starting in late October, international students attending a designated learning institution that has been identified by their provincial or territorial government as having a COVID‑19 readiness plan will also be able to enter Canada,” said Marco Mendicino on October 2, 2020.

IRCC states that existing safety measures at the Canadian entry ports will remain in place and in coming months, public health workers at Canadian borders will be further reinforced.

The measures include:

• All passengers are expected to quarantine in Canada for 14 days on arrival.
• All travellers must have additional arrival information after entering Canada, including contact details and self-assessment during the quarantine period, and it is recommended that these notifications be given via the ArriveCan
• Those who arrive in Canada by air must pass their airlines’ pre-boarding health tests. IRCC adds that, “Upon arrival in Canada, a traveller’s health and ability to quarantine will be assessed before they leave the port of entry.”
• Any traveller who exhibits signs or symptoms of COVID-19 upon arrival at the port of entry shall not be permitted to enter Canada.

Until the announcement of IRCC on 2 October, only students with study permits approved on or before 18 March 2020 could enter the country, but only if they could show that their travel was not “discretionary.”

Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director at Languages Canada stated, “Many of our members were heading straight for closure by year-end because they were unable to welcome students. We are sincerely grateful to the government for listening to our needs on this matter”.

He added that, “The government is proposing strict but acceptable measures for student entry. I am confident that all our members will comply with these measures, as they are far less problematic than the complete closure of our borders and the subsequent loss of Canada’s Official Languages education sector. The reality is that for our country to emerge from the pandemic without being devastated we need to balance health safety and economic safety. And it can be done; Canada can innovate.”

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