International students and temporary foreign workers included in exemptions to travel restrictions

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By IRCC

Exemptions to the air travel restrictions will apply to foreign nationals who have already committed to working, studying or making Canada their home, and travel by these individuals will be considered essential travel for land border restrictions.

The exemptions include seasonal agricultural workers, fish/seafood workers, caregivers and all other temporary foreign workers; international students who held a valid study permit, or had been approved for a study permit, when the travel restrictions took effect on March 18, 2020; and permanent resident applicants who had been approved for permanent residence before the travel restrictions were announced but who had not yet travelled to Canada.

In addition, a temporary modification is being made to the Labour Market Impact Assessment process for agriculture and food processing employers, as the required two-week recruitment period will be waived for the next six months.

The maximum allowable employment duration for workers in the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is being increased from one to two years to improve flexibility and reduce the administrative burden for employers, including those in food processing.

To safeguard the continuity of trade, commerce, health and food security for all Canadians, in addition to health screening protocols before travel, all individuals entering from abroad must isolate for 14 days upon their arrival in Canada.

Allowing foreign workers to enter Canada recognizes their vital importance to the Canadian economy, including food security for Canadians and the success of Canadian food producers. 

These exemptions follow others announced earlier for foreign nationals travelling at the invitation of the Canadian government for a purpose related to the containment of COVID-19, close family members of Canadian citizens, close family members of Canadian permanent residents, a person who is authorized, in writing, by a consular officer of Canada to enter Canada for the purpose of reuniting immediate family members, a person registered as an Indian under the Indian Act, accredited diplomats and family members (including NATO, those under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement, other organizations), air crews, any foreign national, or group of foreign nationals, whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Minister of Public Safety, members of the Canadian military, visiting forces and their family members and transiting passengers.