There is some respite for international students in Canada. They will be getting exemption from Canada’s travel ban. But for this, they need to have a legitimate study permit. They will be exempted even if they had their study permit has been approved before March 18; the day travel restrictions were imposed.
Major Concession on Entry for International Students in Canada:
It has proved to be a major blessing in disguise for the international student community in Canada. Also, it is to be noted that there are some concessions in terms of the temporary foreign worker program. As per the IRCC communiqué, the complete details of the exemptions will be out early next week.
Paul Davidson, president of the Universities Canada, has made a statement that these international students, as well as the faculty, are an indispensable part of the university communities.
It is being anticipated that many international students will be able to travel to Canada for the spring-term enrolments. The institutions are not leaving any stone unturned to help the international student community.
It is to be noted that these students will require assistance from the colleges where they are enrolled, in terms of navigating logistics involving airport pick-up. The institutes will also have to cater to the accommodation based needs of their initial 14-day isolation period.
Coordinating such logistics can be a tricky task for the authorities, but they are keen to take care of the needs of the students enrolled with them.
Mandatory Self Isolation for the Students in Canada:
The institutions need to look into the matter to come up with the necessary support. All those students who have made the required financial investments will be traveling back anyway to get access to the studies.
Major Decision for the Students:
A lot depends on the study programs as completion of these courses lead to many post-study job-related opportunities. Also, it would permanently open the resident pathways.
The action of the government in this direction has received immense support from the president and CEO of the CCLE (Canadian College of English Language). Most of the operations of the institutes have moved online. And students will be able to report back once things go back to normal.
According to the experts, these are the times of complete standstill and will change the entire face of the industry.
Temporary Foreign Workers Included:
There is good news in store even for the temporary foreign workers. Special mention has been made in the exemption policies related the seasonal agricultural workers (associated with seafood/fish and caregivers).
One thing is for sure that the government is taking all the necessary actions to ensure the complete safety of the Canadians. According to the minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, Marco E L Mendicino, all the required steps are being taken to decrease the spread of COVID-19. Some of the measures comprise of isolation, social distancing, and travel restrictions.
The announcement has a significant role in robustly dealing with the virus and also to strengthen the vital services and food security related issues in Canada.