Ottawa, Ontario — The federal government has announced that the Canada-U.S. border is finally opening back up to the general public again, but not in the direction that many Canadians may have been hoping for.
On Friday, the Canadian Border Services Association (CBSA) announced that fully vaccinated foreign nationals meeting the conditions to enter Canada will be allowed to do so, starting Sept. 7 at 12:01 a.m. EST.
The CBSA reported that border test positivity rates had remained low enough to allow the border to re-open for those wishing to enter Canada.
The conditions for entry to Canada for foreign nationals, as specified by the government of Canada, require that individuals must;
- be fully vaccinated: a traveller must have received, and show proof of, the full series of a vaccine — or combination of vaccines — accepted by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to entering Canada. Currently, those vaccines are manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).
- have a valid pre-arrival COVID-19 molecular test result taken no more than 72 hours before their scheduled flight or their arrival at the land border crossing, or a previous positive test result taken between 14 and 180 days before departure to Canada. Antigen tests, often called “rapid tests” are not accepted;
- be asymptomatic;
- submit their mandatory information via ArriveCAN (App or website), including proof of vaccination in English or French and a quarantine plan;
- be admissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and,
- take a test on arrival, if selected.
The government’s current regulations on crossing the border can be found here, in their entirety.
