Ways to travel to Canada with your CoPR during COVID

After 15 months, Canada's border reopened to approved permanent residents. All the new permanent residents with valid CoPR can now move to Canada after arriving at the border. Certainly, they will be subject to the same public health measures that affect all inbound travelers.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino opened the Canadian border to approved permanent residents on June 21, 2021. Before that, those people who had received their Confirmation of Permanent Residence Document (COPR) after March 18, 2020, were not exempt from travel restrictions. To complete the landing process, they had to meet another exemption. As a result, they were stuck in immigration limbo - not officially permanent residents, even though they had gone through all other stages of the immigration process.

Canadian officials said there were approximately 23,000 holders of COPRs outside of Canada. Immigrants with valid documents are exempted from the travel restrictions. Additionally, fully vaccinated travelers can skip the mandatory quarantine.

Of course, the final decision on who is allowed to enter Canada rests with the border officer. Preparing in advance can avoid unpleasant surprises. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) web pages contain official information and offer resources such as the online travel restrictions tool. Additionally, travelers can contact the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to ask specific questions.

Things to do before moving to Canada in COVID

Travelers should not attempt to cross the border if they are showing symptoms of COVID-19. In addition, it is good to keep in mind that each province will have its public health measures which will be posted on their respective government websites.

Immigrants can upload documents like negative COVID test results, quarantine plans, and other required documents in the Arrive CAN application. Border officials have accepted travel documents in this manner throughout the pandemic.

All travelers, even if they are fully vaccinated, should still plan for their mandatory quarantine. The government offers travelers a tool to assess whether their quarantine plan is suitable. At the border, officers will usually want to make sure travelers have a place to stay for 14 days. In addition, they will want to see the map of access to food and other essential supplies. In addition, travelers will have to prove that they are not putting any vulnerable person at risk in their quarantine location.

Travelers over the age of five must provide a negative test, performed 72 hours before arriving at the border. Then they have to take another test when they arrive.

Different border measures are depending on whether you are traveling by land or by plane. Air travelers moving to Canada are required to wait for the COVID test at a government-approved hotel.

Unvaccinated travelers who have flown will need to wait for their test results upon arrival at a hotel. In addition, they will have to take another COVID test on the eighth day of their quarantine. Fully vaccinated travelers can skip this step.

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No quarantine for full vaccinated travelers

Starting July 5 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, all exempt travelers to Canada are subject to the new measure for fully immunized people. These travelers will only have to quarantine themselves at home while awaiting the results of their COVID-19 test at the border.

Children who are not old enough to receive the vaccine will still need to be quarantined at home for the entire 14-day period, even if their fully immunized parents are not required to do so. However, they won't have to make the quarantine requirement at hotels, where newcomers must wait for test results at a government-approved hotel. Agan, unvaccinated travelers should still meet this requirement.

IRCC recommends that all family members included in the application for permanent residence travel to Canada at the same time, if possible.

What to do if CoPR expires?

Since even before the pandemic, border officials have not accepted expired documents. Since the validity of the COPR is linked to the holder's medical examination, a number of them issued after March 18 have already expired. Currently, there are no instructions for COPR holders with expired documents, but the government webpage says more information will be available soon.

IRCC has said that no one whose COPR has expired amid travel restrictions will need to reapply for Canadian immigration.

Instead, the government promises that there will be a process for reissuing the documents. The IRCC website states that expired COPRs should not contact them through the processing office web form or email. If you have already done so, someone from IRCC will review your application and provide you with instructions.