Canada guidelines for students arriving during COVID-19

There are important guidelines that Canadian Government has put out on its official website for the international students travelling to Canada.

The federal Government has given out a guide for all the international students and navigating them through the travel restrictions.

The guide is called COVID-10: a guide for international students in Canada arriving from other countries. The guide has outlined the roles and responsibilities of the Designated Learning Institutes (DLI’), provinces and territories and government of Canada in supporting the international students.

The guide is also aligned with the health advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Below are some of the important points outlined  in the guide:

What to know before entering Canada:

Any students or the accompanying family members with any symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to board the flight. The student or the family member will be checked by a health Canada officer if they show any symptoms upon arrival. The health officer will perform thorough screening and the person will not be allowed to enter or will be sent to the hospital for a medical examination.

International students will be allowed to come to Canada and study in a DLI which has a coronavirus readiness plan. The list of all approved institutions are available on the government webpage.

International students need a study permit or an approval, but that is not a travel authorization. IRCC will only communicate with the students who have their travel authorization granted.

In order to be given access to come to Canada, international students need to show the border services officer that they are entering Canada for non-discretionary purposes, and that they are studying at one of the approved DLIs, among other requirements. International students may be refused entry if they do not meet these requirements.

Immediate family members may be allowed to accompany international students. This would include students’ spouses, dependent children, or their legal parent or guardian if they are a minor. Family members must also show border officers that they are travelling for a non-optional, non-discretionary reason, such as helping the student get established in Canada.

Quarantine Plans:

All the international students and their family members must quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival to Canada. They are required to wear a face mask during the travel, including the place of their travel.

Before entering Canada, the students must have their quarantine plan. Border officers will consider this plan and determine whether the student can enter or not.

While staying in quarantine, the students must ensure that they have individual accommodation and the should be able to monitor themselves for symptoms.

The students must avoid public and shared spaces. The need to arrange for the basic necessities like food and medicine.

They need to avoid people who are at higher risk for severe illnesses such as the older adults and the people with underlying medical conditions and who are immunocompromised.

People with shared living accommodations such as hostels are not suitable for quarantine or isolation. International students living with other people such as the host family or homestay provider, will need to self-isolate from other members in the accommodation or hostel. This means a separate room and washroom is possible. It also means physical distancing from other household members and frequently disinfecting surfaces.

Minors must also undergo mandatory quarantine. Parents or guardians must ensure that appropriate arrangements have been made for their child before they leave for their home country.

Also, international students are asked to confirm their eligibility for heath-care coverage and Canada. If they are not covered, they can get private insurance that includes COVID-19 coverage before departure.

The penalties for breaking quarantine can include a fine of up to $750,000, and six months in jail. If someone causes bodily harm or risk of imminent death as a result of breaking quarantine, they can be fined up to $1 million, and face imprisonment of up to three years.