Canada is rolling over travel restrictions until November 30.
On the same day it announced its historic Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023, Canada published a new Order in Council stating the extension of travel restrictions that have existed since March.
Earlier today, Canada announced its most ambitious immigration levels plan in its history by stating it would aim to admit over 401,000 immigrants per year beginning next year.
The purpose of this goal is to offset the decline in immigration to Canada caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.
This is now the fifth time Canada is extending border closures since they were first closed from March 18 to June 30. Since then, travel restrictions have been extended on a monthly basis.
The border is closed to foreign travellers who are coming to Canada for a non-essential reason such as recreation, tourism, or entertainment.
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Some people are exempt from travel restrictions, such as:
Earlier this month, Canada eased travel restrictions on students, and extended family members.
The federal government is also allowing people to come to Canada for compassionate reasons, such as:
These compassionate travellers will also be able to apply for a break from the mandatory quarantine requirement.
Before coming to Canada, they can fill out a an application to get limited release from quarantine before the 14 days are up.
They can use this time to say goodbye to loved ones.
The only other exemptions to the mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement are:
In all cases, Canadian border services officers have the final say on who gets to enter the country.
Canada has a separate order in place that has also limited cross border travel between it and the U.S. since March. This order was extended for the seventh time earlier this month.
The travel restrictions have reduced immigration to Canada significantly. Canada aimed to welcome 341,000 immigrants this year but is on track to welcome 200,000 or fewer because of disruptions caused by COVID-19.
To compensate, Canada announced earlier in the day it would significantly hike its targets to 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021. As outlined under Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023, the country aims to welcome over 1.2 million immigrants over the next three years to support its post-COVID economic recovery.
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