As restrictions ease across the country, the Government of Canada announced the removal of some of its more restrictive travel requirements. The federal government's pre-arrival COVID-19 testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers will end on April 1, 2022, at 12:01 a.m. EDT.
A summary of the current rules can be found in our previous blog.
Fully vaccinated travellers arriving to Canada will no longer be subject to pre-arrival COVID-19 testing requirements. Fully vaccinated travellers may still be randomly selected for post-arrival testing but will not have to quarantine while awaiting their test result. More restrictive rules still apply to all unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travellers.
All travellers must continue to submit their mandatory information in ArriveCAN before they arrive in Canada. Travellers who fail to submit the required information may be subject to COVID-19 testing and 14-day quarantine requirements regardless of vaccination status.
Pre-Arrival Testing Requirements Removed
Fully vaccinated travellers will no longer need to provide a pre-arrival COVID-19 test result to enter Canada by air, land or water effective April 1, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. EDT. Fully vaccinated travelers may continue to be selected for random COVID-19 molecular testing on arrival but will not need to quarantine while awaiting their test result.
Unvaccinated and Partially Vaccinated Travellers Still Face Heavy Restrictions
Travellers who are not fully vaccinated or are partially vaccinated will still be subject to more restrictive travel rules. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travellers are still unable to board flights, trains, or cruise ships departing from Canada or arriving to Canada. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travellers are also required to take a PCR pre-arrival test. Foreign nationals who are unvaccinated are not eligible to board a flight to Canada. Any unvaccinated traveller who manages to arrive at a Canadian port of entry will be required to quarantine for 14 days and take post-arrival testing.
Travellers Must Continue to Submit Information to ArriveCAN
All travellers (regardless of vaccination status) will be required to continue to submit their mandatory information using ArriveCAN (using the free mobile app or website) before they arrive in Canada. Travellers who fail to submit the required information may be required to take a COVID-19 test post-arrival and quarantine for 14 days. Travellers must submit their information 72 hours in advance of boarding an airplane or cruise ship.
We will continue to monitor the border measures as they are adjusted by the Government of Canada. To stay up-to-date with all current immigration and COVID-19 updates, visit the MLT Aikins COVID-19 Resource Centre.
The immigration group at MLT Aikins can provide guidance and assistance in ensuring that all prospective travellers are fully aware of their ability to travel and whether any exemptions apply.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
