Canada’s ban on direct flight arrivals from India has been extended until July 21, but has ended its ban on flights from Pakistan.
The suspension has been in place since April 22 in a measure aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, particularly the Delta variant first discovered in India.
Travellers can still reach Canada via a third country, but require a negative test for COVID-19 from the interim country.
Canada recently extended its international travel restrictions and the closure of the U.S. border until July 21, 2021. Both restrictions have been in place since March 2020.
However, it was recently announced that, as of July 5, fully vaccinated Canadian citizens and permanent residents would no longer be subject to the 14-day quarantine requirement on entering Canada. This represents the first significant easing of travel restrictions since the start of the pandemic.
COPR Holders Can Travel To Canada
Furthermore, anyone with a valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) can travel to Canada as of June 21, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced recently.
Previously, only foreign nationals with a COPR issued on or before March 18, 2020 were exempt from travel restrictions.
Those with a COPR dated after March 18, 2020 could only come to Canada if they also met another travel exemption. Those coming from the U.S. to settle permanently in Canada were also allowed to travel.
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COPRs are valid for up to a year, meaning many applicants were not able to travel to Canada before their paperwork expired.
IRCC says it will work with those with COPRs issued after March 18, 2020 that have since expired on when and how to obtain a new confirmation.
It advised those with expired COPRs not to book flights or travel to Canada until a new one has been issued.
The relaxing of travel restrictions for COPR holders comes as Canada looks to boost immigration to help the economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis.
Canada is aiming to welcome more than 400,000 new immigrants in 2021, an ambitious target as it looks to foster economic growth that stalled during the global pandemic.
The latest federal government figures show Canada welcomed 91,580 newcomers in the first four months of the year, compared to just over 73,240 in 2020.
However, the numbers are still well short of those needed for Canada to its target. If 91,580 newcomers are welcomed every four months this year, the total would reach only 275,000 permanent resident admissions.