These travel updates are for those who are stuck in Canada due to the pandemic, or can’t wait when Canada lifts its travel restrictions for foreign travelers.

Canada’s Immigration system has been impacted greatly for the past few months. The good news: things are slowly improving.

We would divide the most popular requests that we are getting from our customers into 2 major groups:

• Requests from those non-residents who are stuck in Canada because of COVID-19;
• Requests from foreign travelers waiting to come into Canada.

For the first group - it is possible to prolong their legal stay in Canada, as long as all of the documents are well prepared and there is no hidden motive for extending their stay in Canada.

The very recent update from the Government of Canada was announced on July 14, 2020, saying that former workers, students and visitors who remained in Canada, and whose status expired after Jan 30, 2020, will now have extended time to apply until Dec 31, 2020, to restore their status. To find out if you are eligible to apply, contact us.

As for the second group of requests – people are patiently waiting for the borders to re-open for non-essential travel. We have covered in detail the rules for Temporary Residents, Permanent Residents, and Canadian Citizens coming to Canada in our previous blog.

So, who can currently enter Canada?

• Canadian citizens,
• Permanent residents,
• and immediate family members of a Canadian citizen or Permanent resident.

For all other foreign nationals to be eligible to enter Canada, they must meet 2 requirements:

• They must be traveling for an essential purpose;
• They must be either traveling directly from the US or exempt from travel restrictions.

These measures are in effect until at least August 21, 2020, for travelers coming directly from the US, and July 31, 2020, for all other foreign nationals. The best way to discuss your options in the current situation is by contacting us.

Can you apply for a Canadian Visa meanwhile?

The answer is YES! We can still assist you with Canadian Tourist Visa applications, Student/Work Permits, Business Immigration, PNP, Family Sponsorship files, etc.

What is going to happen next – no one can predict, but we are hoping for the best and will keep you posted on Government Updates. We post travel and immigration updates weekly on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to get recent updates, or contact us directly.