How To Enter Canada During COVID For Your Photo Workshop

 
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When can fully vaccinated foreign nationals enter Canada?

This post is created on Aug 18, 2021, Requirements may change at any time. To get the most up to date information, please visit this page here

Fully vaccinated foreign nationals will be allowed to enter Canada for discretionary travel on specific dates:

August 9, 2021: American citizens and permanent residents of the United States, currently residing in and arriving from the United States, and who qualify for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption

August 9, 2021: French citizens who currently reside in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and who qualify for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption

September 7, 2021 (tentative): All other foreign nationals who qualify for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption

To qualify for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption, you must:

  • be eligible to enter Canada on the specific date you enter

  • have no signs or symptoms of COVID-19

  • have received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of accepted vaccines

  • have received your last dose at least 14 days prior to the day you enter Canada

    • Example: if your last dose was anytime on Thursday July 1st, then Friday July 16th would be the first day that you meet the 14 day condition

  • upload your proof of vaccination in ArriveCAN app on your smart phone

  • meet all other entry requirements (for example, pre-entry test)

Accepted COVID-19 vaccines in Canada

  • Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2)

  • Moderna (mRNA-1273)

  • AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222)

  • Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S)

Vaccines not currently accepted for fully vaccinated status in Canada:

  • Bharat Biotech (Covaxin, BBV152 A, B, C)

  • Cansino (Convidecia, Ad5-nCoV)

  • Gamalaya (Sputnik V, Gam-Covid-Vac)

  • Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV, Sinopharm-Wuhan)

  • Sinovac (CoronaVac, PiCoVacc)

  • Vector Institute (EpiVacCorona)

  • Other

The list of accepted vaccines may expand in the future.

Steps to follow for your trip

To qualify for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption, you must also follow these requirements:

1. Pre-entry test result

2. Quarantine plan in case you don’t qualify for the exemption

3. Proof of vaccination in ArriveCAN

4. Checklist of what to have ready at the border

5. Arrival tests - randomized testing and exemptions

Testing positive or possible exposure within 14 days of your entry to Canada

Monitor for symptoms for at least 14 days after your arrival. If you start having COVID-19 symptoms you must immediately:

  • contact the local public health authority and follow their directions, including isolation

  • report symptoms to PHAC by calling 1-833-641-0343

You must provide proof of your test results, if asked, to any federal, provincial, territorial or municipal government official.

Use ArriveCAN to enter Canada

The Web-based ArriveCAN platform (accessed by signing in online at Canada.ca/ArriveCAN) is optimized to meet all Government of Canada accessibility requirements, including the use of text-to-voice technology. The Web platform is recommended for any users with accessibility-related issues. The Government of Canada is working to make the mobile applications available on the Google and Apple app stores accessible as quickly as possible. Persons unable to use ArriveCAN due to accessibility issues can get support by visiting our get help page or seek assistance upon arrival to Canada. Travellers with a right of entry, such as Canadian citizens, permanent residents and persons registered under the Indian Act will not be denied boarding of their flight or entry into Canada if they do not use ArriveCAN.

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ArriveCAN is available to download as a mobile app or you can create an account and sign in online.

All travellers, with limited exceptions, whether entering Canada by air, land or marine vessel, must use ArriveCAN. You'll need to submit your information within 72 hours before your arrival to Canada. If you're entering by air or land, you must use ArriveCAN before entering Canada. If you're travelling by marine vessel, you must use ArriveCAN before or upon entering Canada; this is to accommodate for Wi-Fi issues on the water.

As of August 9, fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents residing in and traveling from the U.S. and French citizens residing in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon can enter Canada for discretionary purposes. To qualify, you must:

  • select the following as your purpose of travel in ArriveCAN:

    • U.S. citizens and permanent residents residing in the U.S. and citizens of France residing in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon travelling for discretionary/optional travel

  • enter the details of your COVID-19 vaccine(s) and upload proof

  • complete your submission and get an ArriveCAN receipt

    • You will only get a receipt if all travellers over the age of 12 have received the full dosage of a vaccine or combination of vaccines accepted by Health Canada at least 14 days prior to entry and each traveller has uploaded proof of their vaccination

  • show your receipt to the air carrier in order to board your flight and to the border services officer upon entry.

If you are travelling with others for discretionary purposes, including unvaccinated children and dependent adults:

  • include children under 12 in your ArriveCAN submission. You will be asked about their vaccination status; however, as long as all other travellers in the submission are fully vaccinated, ArriveCAN will issue a receipt that is required for travel

  • don't include unvaccinated dependent children aged 12-17 or unvaccinated dependent adults in your ArriveCAN submission. You will provide their information before boarding your flight or upon entry to Canada

  • don't include travellers who have a medical condition that is a contraindication that prevents them from completing a COVID-19 vaccine dosage regimen in your ArriveCAN submission. They will provide their information upon entry to Canada

  • Don't include other travellers who are entering Canada for other purposes of travel or who are not fully vaccinated (unless they are less than 12 years old). For example,

    • if you are a US citizen entering Canada for discretionary purposes and traveling with another person who is a Canadian citizen, you should complete individual submissions

    • if you are traveling with a group of adult US citizens or permanent residents with mixed vaccination statuses, do not include unvaccinated travellers in your submission; you will not be issued an ArriveCAN receipt as unvaccinated US citizens or permanent residents are not eligible to enter Canada for discretionary travel

Getting your ArriveCAN receipt

Once you submit your information through ArriveCAN:

  • a receipt will be displayed and emailed to you

  • show the receipt to your airline carrier, if flying and to a Canadian border services officer when you enter

  • you can show your ArriveCAN receipt from:

    • the app

    • a screenshot

    • your email

    • a printout

The ArriveCAN mobile app saves your contact information (name, date of birth and travel document information) for travel at a later date.

If your travel details change before you enter Canada

If you've already submitted your information and have an ArriveCAN receipt, start over in ArriveCAN. ArriveCAN will clear your previous information.

After you've entered Canada

If you qualified for the fully vaccinated exemption

You may receive notifications from ArriveCAN asking you to complete your reporting; however, you won't be required to complete daily symptom reporting and you may ignore these notifications. Follow the instructions of the border services officer upon entry, including the paper handout you were provided.

If you didn't qualify for the fully vaccinated exemption

The day after you arrive in Canada, all travellers, whether you travel by air, land or marine, must use ArriveCAN to:

  • confirm that you've arrived at the address you provided for your quarantine or isolation location

  • complete daily COVID-19 symptom self-assessments until the completion of your quarantine period or until you report symptoms

Government of Canada officials will call you to ensure that you're complying with your mandatory quarantine or isolation. You must answer calls from 1-888-336-7735 and answer all questions truthfully to demonstrate your compliance with the law. You may also receive a visit from a designated screening officer to confirm your compliance with the quarantine or isolation order.

If the provincial or territorial quarantine requirements in your area conflict with the federal quarantine requirements, please follow the directions that are more strict.

If you're directed to a designated quarantine facility, you won't have to report through ArriveCAN. However, you'll be subject to reporting requirements at the facility.

How to report after you've entered Canada÷

How you report depends on whether you:

Used ArriveCAN to enter Canada

If you used ArriveCAN before you entered Canada, you'll get a push notification on your phone or an email on the second day of your quarantine. This means the day after you entered Canada. The notification alerts you that you're ready to confirm:

  • your arrival at your place of quarantine or isolation

  • you can start your daily symptom reporting through ArriveCAN

You'll be able to complete your mandatory reporting in less than a minute.

When you open the app or sign in online, you'll have prompts to help you confirm and complete your daily check-in. You'll also receive daily emails. Note that ArriveCAN may show the incorrect day of your quarantine period, follow the instructions provided by the Border Services Officer.

On day 9 of your quarantine period, you'll be asked if you've taken your COVID-19 test on day 8, and if you've sent your sample to the lab. If you are exempt from this requirement, answer 'no' to these questions.

If you are unable to use ArriveCAN after entering the country, call 1-833-641-0343 daily during your quarantine period.

Didn't use ArriveCAN to enter Canada

If you submitted your information verbally to a Canada border services officer or by paper form when you entered Canada, you can't use ArriveCAN to complete your mandatory reporting. You must call 1-833-641-0343 instead. It will take approximately 5 minutes to complete your daily reporting. Each traveller must call individually, e.g., if you are a family of four, you need to make 4 separate phone calls.

Download the ArriveCAN mobile app

To download and install the mobile app, you'll need to have one of the following:

  • an Apple device running iOS 12 or above

  • an Android device running OS 6 or above

Getting tested to enter Canada

Pre-entry test result requirements

All travellers 5 years of age or older, regardless of citizenship, must provide proof of a COVID-19 test result to enter Canada.

All travellers must provide one of the accepted types of tests, not an antigen test, including those who are fully vaccinated.

Accepted types of tests

These tests are considered acceptable molecular tests:

  • PCR - Polymerase chain reaction

  • RT-PCR – reverse transcription real time PCR

  • Quantitative PCR (qPCR)

  • Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)

  • Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)

  • Isothermal amplification

  • Droplet digital PCR or digital droplet PCR (ddPCR)

  • Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA)

  • RNA (Ribonucleic acid)

  • Ct (cycle threshold)

  • CRISPR

  • Sequencing

  • Next generational sequencing (NGS) or whole genome sequencing (WGS)

  • Oxford Nanopore sequencing (LamPORE)

  • Detection of the N gene

  • Detection of Orf1a/b

  • Detection of the S gene

  • Detection of the E gene

  • Detection of the RdRp gene

These tests use methods such as a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, nose swab, or saliva sample. At this time, proof of having a vaccine will not replace a negative test result.

If you’ve already had COVID-19 and recovered

After August 9, 2021: Canadian citizens and permanent residents travelling to the United States for less than 72 hours are allowed to do their pre-entry molecular test before they leave Canada.

  • if your test is more than 72 hours old before you enter Canada, you’ll be required to get a new pre-entry molecular test in the United States

When and where to get a negative pre-entry test result

If you're flying to Canada, you must take a test within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time of your flight to Canada. Airlines will refuse boarding to travellers who are unable to provide a valid molecular test result.

  • If you have a connecting flight:

    • the test must be conducted within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time of your last direct flight to Canada

    • you may need to schedule the test in your transit city

If you're driving, you must take a test in the United States within 72 hours of your planned entry into Canada.

Providing proof of your result

When you arrive at the border, you must present an accepted test result (paper or electronic proof) which must include:

  • Traveller name and date of birth

  • Name and civic address of the laboratory/clinic/facility that administered the test

  • The date on which the test was conducted

  • The type of test conducted

  • The test result

You must show proof of your test results even if you:

  • have tested negative for COVID-19 previous to the 72 hour period

  • have been vaccinated for COVID-19

  • recovered from COVID-19 and no longer test positive

  • recovered from COVID-19 and continue to test positive

Keep proof of your test results with you for the 14-day period that begins on the day you enter Canada.

At this time, travellers should have their test performed at a reputable laboratory or testing facility (i.e., one recognized by the local government or accredited by a third party, such as a professional organization or international standards organization).

All travellers must:

  • provide one of the accepted types of tests, not an antigen test

  • keep proof of your test results for the 14-day period that begins on the day you enter Canada

Source of Information: https://travel.gc.ca/

Kevin A PepperComment