COVID-19

The Canadian government has implements travel restrictions because of COVID-19. Only people who are exempt from these restrictions can come to Canada.

International students can come to Canada if they meet all current requirements. These requirements apply to new students and to students who are already enrolled in a program of studies.

Important : The Canadian government has announced new travel restrictions starting January 15, 2022. You need to be familiar with the requirements that will apply on the date you plan to arrive in Quebec.

• Between November 30, 2021, and January 14, 2022

  To be allowed into Canada as an international student, you need to :

  1) Be accepted (new students) or enrolled (current students) in a cégep with a government-approved COVID-19 readiness plan. The IRCC website has a list of designated learning institutions that have a plan and can welcome students. All of Quebec’s cégeps are on this list. When you arrive, you should have in hand documents that prove that you are accepted or enrolled at your cégep. Border agents may ask you to provide them.

  2) Have all the immigration documents required for coming to Canada (Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) for studies, study permit approval letter or valid Study Permit, Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), or Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA)).

  3) Have a suitable quarantine plan (including plans for where you will be housed, how you’ll get groceries, etc.). All students must have a quarantine plan, so you need one even if you’re fully vaccinated (see the section “Requirements when you arrive in Canada”).

  4) Have no COVID-19 symptoms. Most students will also have to have a COVID-19 test before coming to Canada AND when landing in Canada (see the section “Requirements when you arrive in Canada”).

  We encourage you to talk to your cégep’s contact person to find out when you’re expected to arrive.

  The Government of Canada website has an online tool to help you figure out if you’re exempt from travel restrictions.

• On or after January 15, 2022

  To be allowed into Canada as an international student, you need to : 

  1) Be accepted (new students) or enrolled (current students) in a cégep. When you arrive, you should have in hand documents that prove that you are accepted or enrolled at your cégep. Border agents may ask you to provide them.

  2) Be fully vaccinated with a Government of Canada-accepted COVID 19 vaccine if you are 18+ years old. If you are not fully vaccinated, you cannot come to Canada. See the section “Requirements when you arrive in Canada” for more details about vaccination requirements.

  3) Have all the immigration documents required for coming to Canada (Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) for studies, study permit approval letter or valid study permit, Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), or Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA)).

  4) Have a suitable quarantine plan (including plans for where you will be housed, how you’ll get groceries, etc.). All students must have a quarantine plan, so you need one even if you’re fully vaccinated (see the section “Requirements when you arrive in Canada”).

  5) Have no COVID-19 symptoms. Most students will also have to have a COVID-19 test before coming to Canada AND when landing in Canada (see the section “Requirements when you arrive in Canada”).

  The Government of Canada website has an online tool to help you figure out if you’re exempt from travel restrictions.

  Important : If you’re under 18 years old, you can come to Canada as an international student even if you’re not fully vaccinated. You still have to meet all the other requirements PLUS you must quarantine for 14 days in a suitable place when you arrive in Canada.

If you’re an exchange student, the travel restrictions that apply to you depend on how long you’re coming to study and whether or not you’re fully vaccinated.

• Exchange students – Less than 6 months

  Fully vaccinated people : All travellers, no matter their country of citizenship, can travel to Canada if they are considered to be fully vaccinated travelers. Students who want to come and study in Quebec for less than 6 months as part of an exchange program don’t need to have a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) for studies or a Canadian study permit. You do need to get a Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) or Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) before coming to Canada.

  People who are not fully vaccinated : If you are not fully vaccinated, you are not exempt from travel restrictions as a visitor. If this is your case, you need to apply—and be approved for— for a study permit before you can come to Canada. Since your trip will be less than 6 months long, you don’t need to apply for a CAQ for studies. You can’t arrive in Canada after January 14, 2022. Special conditions will apply upon your arrival. See the section “Requirements when you arrive in Canada – People who are not fully vaccinated”.

  Starting January 15, 2022, students age 18+ must be fully vaccinated with a Government of Canada-accepted vaccine to enter Canada.

• Exchange students – More than 6 months

  If you’re coming to study for more than 6 months, you need to apply for and receive a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) for studies and a Canadian study permit. The conditions you’ll need to meet when you arrive will depend on whether or not you’re fully vaccinated and the date you arrive in Canada (prior to January 15, 2022 or not). See the section “Requirements when you arrive in Canada – People who are not fully vaccinated.”

Some immediate family members of students may enter Canada and are exempt from travel restrictions.

Travel restrictions for immediate family members of students, as well as the documents required according to the different situations, are detailed on the Canadian government website.

children who are four years of age or younger arriving by land or air are exempt from the requirement to provide a COVID-19 molecular test prior to and upon arrival in Canada.

To help foreign nationals determine whether they are exempt from travel restrictions and what requirements apply to them, the Canadian government has published an online tool, which we encourage you to consult. However, final determination on entry is made by a Canada border services agent upon arrival.

There are different requirements for entering Canada depending on whether or not you’re fully vaccinated. If you have any questions about these requirements or about your specific situation, you can call the Canada Border Services Agency at 1 800 461 9999. Since the situation and requirements can change suddenly, you should check the Government of Canada website regularly to stay up to date.

To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller, you need to : 

1) Have received at least 2 doses of Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca vaccines, or 1 dose of the Janssen (Johnson&Johnson) vaccine. Starting November 30, 2021, the following 3 vaccines will be Government of Canada-accepted: Sinopharm (also called Covilo), Sinovac (also called Coronavac), and COVAXIN.
2) Have received the last vaccine dose at least 14 full days before entering Canada.
3) Upload proof of vaccination to the ArriveCAN platform. Proof of vaccination must be in English or French. If your document is in another language, you need to get a certified translation into English or French. That means that the translation has to include the stamp or membership number of a professional translation association.

You also need to : 

1) Be eligible to enter Canada and have all required immigration documents.
2) Have no COVID-19 symptoms.
3) Have uploaded all required information to the ArriveCAN platform before your flight to Canada. If you don’t have your information in ArriveCan before arriving at the border, you won’t qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller, even if you meet every other condition.
4) Have taken a molecular test (with COVID-19 negative results) within 72 hours of your scheduled flight to Canada OR have proof of a previous positive COVID-19 test taken 14-180 days before your flight. Airlines will not board travellers who cannot provide one of these proofs. If you have a connecting flight, the negative molecular test must be done within 72 hours of the scheduled flight that enters Canada. This may mean that you have to do the test on a layover.
5) Take an additional COVID-19 test upon arrival in Canada. You must quarantine in a suitable place until you receive your test result. You may take public transportation (for example, connecting flights) to your place of quarantine. If the result of the Day 1 arrival test is positive, you are is required to isolate at your quarantaine place for an additional 10 days. If the result of the Day 1 arrival test is negative, you are released from quarantine.

6) Have a suitable plan for a 14-day quarantine. Even if you are fully vaccinated, you need to provide your mandatory quarantine plan through the ArriveCAN platform before coming to Canada. 

Important : Additional conditions may apply depending on the country you’re travelling from. See the Government of Canada website for details on these requirements.

There are different requirements for entering Canada depending on whether or not you’re fully vaccinated and the date you arrive in Quebec. If you have any questions about these requirements or about your specific situation, you can call the Canada Border Services Agency at 1 800 461 9999.

Important : The Government of Canada has announced new travel restrictions that come into effect on January 15, 2022. You should read the section that applies to your case, based on when you arrive in Quebec.

• Between November 30, 2021, and January 14, 2022

  People who are not fully vaccinated are not allowed to come to Canada as visitors. If you are not fully vaccinated, you need a valid study permit or letter of approval for your study permit to enter Canada.

  In this situation, you have to meet all of the following requirements for entry : 

  1) Be authorized to enter Canada and meet all the conditions for being exempt from travel restrictions as an international student.

  2) Not have any COVID-19 symptoms.

  3) Have uploaded all required information to the ArriveCAN platform before your flight to Canada or before arriving at the land border.

  4) Have taken a molecular test (with COVID-19 negative results) within 72 hours of your scheduled flight to Canada OR have proof of a previous positive COVID-19 test taken 14-180 days before your flight. Airlines will not board travellers who cannot provide one of these proofs. If you have a connecting flight, the negative molecular test must be done within 72 hours of the scheduled flight that enters Canada. This may mean that you have to do the test on a layover. If you’re arriving by land, you will need to do a molecular test in the USA within 72 hours of your planned crossing into Canada.

  5) Take an additional COVID-19 test when you arrive at the airport or land border if an agent asks you to. A test kit for you to use later, during your quarantine, will be provided.

  6) Quarantine properly for the full 14 days.

  Important : Vaccine requirements for flights and train travel within Canada have been in effect since October 30, 2021. See the section “Traveling from and within Canada”.

• Starting January 15, 2022

  Students 18 years and older : You cannot come to Canada, even if you have a valid study permit or letter of acceptance for a study permit.

  Student younger than 18 years : For now you can come to Canada, but this could change suddenly. You need to meet all of the following requirements :

  1) Be authorized to enter Canada.

  2) Not have any COVID-19 symptoms.

  3) Have uploaded all required information to the ArriveCAN platform before your flight to Canada or before arriving at the land border.

  4) Have taken a molecular test (with COVID-19 negative results) within 72 hours of your scheduled flight to Canada OR have proof of a previous positive COVID-19 test taken 14-180 days before your flight. Airlines will not board travellers who cannot provide one of these proofs. If you have a connecting flight, the negative molecular test must be done within 72 hours of the scheduled flight that enters Canada. This may mean that you have to do the test on a layover. If you’re arriving by land, you will need to do a molecular test in the USA within 72 hours of your planned crossing into Canada.

  5) Take an additional COVID-19 test when you arrive at the airport or land border if an agent asks you to. A test kit for you to use later, during your quarantine, will be provided.

  6) Quarantine properly for the full 14 days.

You need to have several documents on hand when you arrive. Canada Border Services Agency will ask for them. Be sure to also use the Government of Canada “Find out if you can enter Canada” tool.

Take note of the following items:

Admission letter (new students) : If your admission letter is several months old, be sure to also have a letter from your cégep stating that your admission is still valid (a new letter or written confirmation from the cégep).

Proof of enrolment (current students) : Have in hand papers that prove that you were enrolled last term and, if possible, that you’re enrolled in the current term and the following one.

Immigration Medical Examination : Some students need to have an Immigration Medical Examination (IME) as part of their study permit application from overseas. If that applies to you, note that IMEs are only valid for 12 months. If your examination is no longer valid, you need to do a new one and bring proof of it (the form from the designated doctor, receipt, etc.) with you. This requirement applies to new students and to current students who have a valid study permit and who have spent more than 6 months of the past year in a designated country.

Everyone who arrives in Canada, no matter if they’re vaccinated or when they arrive, must have a suitable plan for quarantining for 14 days. When you arrive in Canada, a government agent can require you to complete a mandatory quarantine.

• Before you arrive

  You must be able to prove that you will be able to quarantine properly for 14 days when you arrive at your final destination. The quarantine plan is your responsibility and is required for all students (fully vaccinated and not).

  All students have to provide their information electronically via ArriveCAN before coming to Canada.

  To make sure you have a suitable quarantine plan, use the following resources :

  • COVID-19 : A Guide for International Students in Canada Arriving from Abroad
  • The Government of Canada tool “COVID-19: Assess your quarantine plan”
  • Accueil Plus (in French only)

  Your cégep can provide some information and support, so be sure to reach out to the contact person there if you have any questions!

  And if you have questions about what’s required for your quarantine plan, you can call the Government of Canada COVID-19 information line: 1 833 784 4397.

• After you arrive

  If you do have to quarantine, on the day after you arrive in Canada you need to use ArriveCAN to : 

  1. Confirm that you have reached the address you indicated as your place for quarantining or isolating.

  2. Fill out a self-assessment for any COVID-19 symptoms. You will need to do this daily until the end of your quarantine or until you develop symptoms.

  Expect to receive phone calls, emails and visits from Government of Canada representatives checking to see if you’re following your quarantine plan. You may receive automated calls or calls from an agent and you need to answer and follow up. An agent could also visit you at your quarantine location.

  If you do not comply with the instructions you receive when you enter Canada, you are committing an offense under the Quarantine Act and you could be subject to one or both of the following penalties :

  1. 6 months in prison

  2. $750,000 in fines

  You could also receive a ticket of up to $5,000 for non-compliance from police.

Since October 30, 2021, people age 12 years and 4 months and up must be fully vaccinated to board a train or flight for travel within Canada.

• Traveling within Canada

  You need to meet the following requirements : 

  1) Be fully vaccinated with a Government of Canada-accepted vaccine.
  2) Be ready to show your official proof of vaccination at any time during your travel.
  3) Have received your second dose at least 14 full days before your departure date.
  4) Have no COVID-19 symptoms.
  5) Wear a mask.

  You don’t have to take a COVID-19 test to travel within Canada.

• Traveling from Canada

  Until February 28, 2022, foreign nationals who are not fully vaccinated and who typically reside outside of Canada can board flights leaving Canada if they arrived in Canada prior to October 30, 2021, and they show a proof of a COVID-19 negative molecular test when they travel.

• Connecting flights

  From November 30, 2021, to January 14, 2022, you can take a connecting flight in Canada to reach your final destination even if you’re not fully vaccinated, provided that your connecting flight takes off within 24 hours of your flight into Canada’s departure.

  Starting January 15, 2022, students who are not fully vaccinated with a Government of Canada-approved vaccine will no longer be allowed to enter Canada.