Welcome Back to Canada!

Travel restrictions for international students will be lifted at schools with COVID-19 readiness plans starting October 20.

Canada welcomes back international students

If you're a student from abroad hoping to travel to Canada to study at a university or college, we've got good news. Starting October 20, Canada will begin welcoming back international students!

This means if you're coming to Canada to study, and your school has a COVID-19 readiness plan in place, you'll be exempt from travel restrictions. Your school's COVID-19 readiness plan must be approved by provincial health authorities before you can travel.

This change applies to all international students, regardless of your country of origin or when you received your study permit. Just be sure you don't make travel plans until you've met all the requirements and your school has approval from provincial health authorities.

Provincial approval for schools

Each province will have different rules and guidelines for how they'll review and approve readiness plans for schools. If your school isn't on the list of approved institutions, you won't be able to travel to Canada just yet.

To qualify, schools must have plans in place to share health and travel info with you, the student, as well as put together a quarantine plan. You'll still have to quarantine yourself for fourteen days after arriving in Canada, and your school should be prepared to help you do so. This includes assuring you have access to food and medication during your mandatory quarantine.

A list of universities and colleges with approved COVID-19 readiness plans is updated frequently on the federal government's website.

You can reach out to your school to ask about current COVID-19 readiness plans. You'll want to ask about accomodation for international students undergoing quarantine, too. 

Immediate family members

You may be able to travel to Canada with an immediate family member, if they're coming to support you in your studies. This could mean a parent, a spouse or common-law partner, or a dependent.

This is great news if you need some family support while studying in Canada. Of course, your family member will also need to quarantine on arrival.

Post-graduate work permit

If you're graduating from a Canadian program with a degree, diploma, or certificate, you have six months to apply for a post-graduate work permit (PGWP), which lets you stay in Canada to work. Due to the pandemic, the government has loosened restrictions, so even if you pursued your courses online, you can still qualify. Learn more about the PGWP program here.

More information still to come

More details about the program will continue to emerge leading up to, and after, the October 20 launch. We'll keep you updated as information becomes available.