Fully vaxxed tourists can travel to Canada from August 2021

Canada is going ahead with reopening its border to tourists who are fully vaccinated. Here’s a summary of the updates regarding travel to Canada.

• US tourists who are fully vaccinated can enter Canada from August 9, 2021.
• Fully vaccinated children of Canadians and other travelers who are exempt will have amended quarantine from August 9, 2021.
• The policy of quarantine at hotels will end on August 9, 2021.
• Tourists who are fully vaccinated, coming from any country can travel to Canada from September 7, 2021.
• More airports will accept international flights.

All this is possible now because Canada has brought the COVID-19 situation under control. Backed by that success, Canada is now in a position to accept citizens of the US and permanent residents arriving from the US from August 9, 2021.

What does the new rule mean to travelers?

With the new rule in action, travelers who are fully vaccinated won’t have to do on-arrival as well as the 8-day testing. However, they may have to go through random testing at the border.

Who’s “fully vaccinated”?

The following criteria apply to travelers to be considered fully vaccinated.

• They must have the recommended dosage of a vaccine that has received approval in Canada.
• The final vaccination must have been received by the traveler at least 14 days before entering Canada.
• The vaccines that Canada currently accepts include:
  • Pfizer
  • Astra Zeneca
  • Janssen
  • Moderna
• Results of vaccination must be presented in the English or French language. In any other case, Canadian officials at the border will need to see a certified translation.
• All documents have to be submitted to the ArriveCan website or app.

In any case, travelers who travel to Canada are required to have a quarantine plan for 14 days.

The new measures will be coming into effect from August 9, 2021, at 12:01 am Eastern time.

What about children who aren’t vaccinated?

• From August 9, 2021, dependents of vaccinated travelers, who aren’t vaccinated, won’t anymore have to complete the 14-day quarantine.
• They will however need to follow public health measures for that period of time.
• They will have to comply with all requirements related to entry and testing. This will include testing on arrival and on the eighth day.
• From September 2021, these measures will apply to unvaccinated children of tourists entering Canada.
• The general guidelines for children say that they must avoid being in groups at places like schools and daycare in the 2 weeks following their arrival in Canada.

Testing requirements

• The following categories of travelers can do their arrival test before entering Canada:
  • Canadian citizens
  • Permanent residents traveling to the US for under 72 hours
• If the traveler is tested positive even after he/she has recovered from the COVID-19, they can present their test taken between 14 and 180 days prior to their arrival in Canada.
• Travelers who are fully vaccinated won’t need to do a test after arrival in Canada. That is unless they have randomly been selected for a test on arrival in Canada.
• Unvaccinated travelers will have to go through mandatory testing on arrival and the eighth day after arrival.

Proof of vaccination

• On August 9, 2021, air carriers will do verification of travelers arriving in Canada to check if they have submitted all required details via the ArriveCAN app before boarding the plane.
• No tourist who hasn’t submitted the required information will be permitted to fly to travel to Canada.
• Travelers must also carry their actual vaccination certificate to be produced at the Canada border.
• There are travelers with a right to entry who must submit vaccination details and vaccination status via ArriveCAN. However, they won’t be barred from boarding if this requirement isn’t met.

Vaccination status and easing of quarantine requirements

• People who haven’t and can’t get vaccinated due to health conditions will be given lenience on quarantine requirements.
• Nevertheless, they may be required to follow a quarantine plan in a modified form.
• Those arriving in Canada in a boat will have the eligibility of eased testing and quarantine in case they meet the definition of fully vaccinated.
• Those who arrive by boat must also satisfy testing requirements before entering Canada. This will be done via ArriveCAN or upon their arrival in Canada.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest, or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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