Languages Canada is pleased to confirm that as of September 7, 2021, fully vaccinated* foreign nationals, including language students, may enter Canada. The Government of Canada’s Order in Council number 2021-0824, dated August 6, 2021, confirms the decision in Section 9(2). Section 6 provides further details.
What does this mean for students attending Languages Canada member programs?
- If fully vaccinated* students have a VALID Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) or Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) and are flying to Canada for a program of fewer than six months, they should be allowed into Canada without the need to quarantine for 14 days (for arrivals as of 12:01 A.M. EDT, September 7, 2021).
- Since July 5, 2021, fully vaccinated* students who have a VALID study permit for a program at an approved designated learning institution (DLI) are allowed into Canada without the need to quarantine for 14 days.
Pre-entry test result requirements
All travellers 5 years of age or older, regardless of citizenship, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result, taken within 72 hours before travelling to Canada, to enter the country. All travellers, including those who are fully vaccinated, must provide one of the accepted types of tests, not an antigen test. See the types of tests accepted by the Government of Canada.
While the door continues to open for international students, Languages Canada strongly recommends members to:
- Encourage students to use either eTA or Study Permits to enter Canada.
- Fully vaccinated students coming for programs of fewer than six months who are eligible for an eTA should apply for their eTA as soon as they can. The process is very simple, costs only CAD $7, and the results are usually processed in fewer than 48 hours.
- Students who are not eligible for an eTA are strongly recommended to apply for a Study Permit – NOT for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV). IRCC is currently giving priority to Study Permit processing. When TRV processing resumes, it is expected that a backlog of hundreds of thousands of existing TRV applications will be analyzed by IRCC. At this time and for the foreseeable future, Study Permit applications are being processed faster than TRVs.
- Ensure that ALL students have an acceptable quarantine plan.
- Even if fully vaccinated, every traveller must be prepared to quarantine for 14 days, in case they:
- are symptomatic
- don’t meet the requirements
- A suitable quarantine plan must be entered into the official Government of Canada travel app, ArriveCAN, to use in case the student does not qualify for the exemption. Students may be asked to explain their quarantine plan at the border. Students are advised to use this tool from the Government of Canada to assess their quarantine plan.
- Even if fully vaccinated, every traveller must be prepared to quarantine for 14 days, in case they:
*What is a fully vaccinated student?
To qualify for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption, students must:
- be eligible to enter Canada on the specific date they enter
- have no signs or symptoms of COVID-19
- have received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of accepted vaccines
- have received their last vaccine dose at least 14 days prior to the day they enter Canada
- For example: if their last dose was anytime on Thursday, July 1, then Friday, July 16 would be the first day that they meet the 14-day condition and enter Canada
- upload their proof of vaccination in ArriveCAN
- meet all other entry requirements (for example, pre-entry test)
Accepted COVID-19 vaccines in Canada
- Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2)
- Moderna (mRNA-1273)
- AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222)
- Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S)
Vaccines not currently accepted for fully vaccinated status in Canada
- Bharat Biotech (Covaxin, BBV152 A, B, C)
- Cansino (Convidecia, Ad5-nCoV)
- Gamalaya (Sputnik V, Gam-Covid-Vac)
- Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV, Sinopharm-Wuhan)
- Sinovac (CoronaVac, PiCoVacc)
- Vector Institute (EpiVacCorona)
- Other
The list of accepted vaccines may expand in the future.
What about students who are not vaccinated?
Canada has been welcoming study permit holders since October 20, 2020, regardless of their vaccination status. The country is open to international students who have NOT been vaccinated, have been partially vaccinated, or have been vaccinated with other vaccines which are not yet approved by the Government of Canada. However, these students must meet a few criteria:
- International students who have a VALID study permit for a program at an approved designated learning institution (DLI), are allowed to enter Canada, but they must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
- They must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result, taken within 72 hours prior to their arrival, to enter Canada. See the types of tests accepted by the Government of Canada.
- These students will be required to take a PCR test upon arrival and on Day 8 after arriving in Canada.
- A suitable quarantine plan must be entered into ArriveCAN. If students need help planning their 14-day quarantine, they may book a Study Safe Corridor package at www.languagescanada.ca/travel-safe.
In a recent meeting with Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, Languages Canada stressed the importance of recognizing other vaccines accepted by the World Health Organization and developing clear guidelines to allow easier and safer entry of students into Canada. Canadian public health authorities are aware of the issue relating to vaccine recognition and government is working towards proof of vaccination for international travel (see IRCC news release dated August 11, 2021). The Minister also made it clear that international education remains a top priority for Canada.
Languages Canada and its members have been forced to adapt continuously, and we are delighted to confirm the news above with our members. More official updates will be provided as they become available.
