Canada: Fully-Vaccinated Int’l Students Don’t Need to Quarantine If They Received First Dose Two Weeks Before

Fully-vaccinated international students who have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are not obliged to quarantine in Canada if they have received their second dose at least two weeks before.

International students are required to perform a COVID-19 test twice, the first one three days before arriving in Canada, whereas the second one upon their arrival. Following this decision, international students do not need to test for the virus on the eighth day or spend the first three days at the hotel waiting for the test results, Erudera.com reports.

Students who are not vaccinated or have received vaccines that the Canadian government does not recognize must quarantine and perform three tests, including pre-departure, on arrival, and day 8 test, once they arrive in the country.

These students must also cover the costs of staying at the hotel or university accommodation for 14 days. The University of British Columbia charges students around 45 and 79 Canadian dollars per day to use the facilities at Walter Gage Student Residence for quarantine.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that it is still important to know that the pandemic is not over yet; therefore, the country should not move too fast and then have to reimpose restrictions after case numbers increase, similar to what happened in other countries.

“We need to do this right. We’re going to ensure that our airports and our travel facilities are able to handle the new surge with careful measures in place,” Trudeau said.

According to the Canada Border Services Agency, the relaxed border rules apply to eligible persons only, including Canadian citizens or permanent residents and their family members, permit holders, some international students, and new permanent residents since March 18, 2020.

International students should plan their travel to Canada after receiving their student visa and confirmation that their university is welcoming students back. They should also log their travel details and documents in the ArriveCAN app to verify COVID-19 and vaccination status.  

Most recently, Canada extended travel restrictions on non-essential international travel until July 21, but international students with valid visas are exempted. Students from India are not permitted to fly directly to Canada until July 27 due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country and the eruption of the Delta variant.

In the meantime, students expected to arrive in Canada for the fall semester pointed out that they are struggling with the slow visa process and fewer available flights.