In March 2020, Canadian higher education institutions closed campuses and moved to deliver some of their programs online. They are seeming likely to continue doing so through spring and summer, planning for contingencies for the 2020/21 academic year.
Canada effectively closed its borders to international travellers in phase 1 between 16 March and 18 March, and most of those travel restrictions are in place today. However, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that the exemptions to the air travel restrictions will apply to foreign nationals who have already committed to working, studying, or having a Canadian PR, and travel by these individuals will be considered essential travel. The exemption applies only to international students who held a valid study permit or had been approved for a study permit, when the travel restrictions took effect on 18 March. The exemption will not apply to those whose study permit applications were approved after the border closures fully came into effect from that day.
People with air travel will need to undergo a health check conducted by the airline before boarding a flight to Canada. Their health will need to be assessed even when arriving on Canadian soil and all incoming students will be required to self-isolate for 14 days immediately upon arrival. The travel exemption now officially in place is just the first step in welcoming new or returning students to Canada in the coming weeks and months. To know more about the latest status of education in Canada, please contact Mrunali on 93724 58304 or email mrunali@visioninternational.net
