Soft Landing

[Ammu_Jino]

Hi All,

My husband and I are planning to travel to Canada next month (May 2020) as our COPR is expiring in June 2020. I am the primary applicant. Due to a personal emergency, i would need to return back to my home country after a soft landing in May. My husband would be continuing in Canada. I will be free after 3 months and hope to return back to Canada for the permanent stay then.
Can somebody tell me if there are any rules stating the minimum number of days before which the immigrant cannot fly back to home country after soft landing? Also, can the secondary applicant stay back in Canada though the primary applicant fly back to home country?

 

[canuck78]

Hi All,

My husband and I are planning to travel to Canada next month (May 2020) as our COPR is expiring in June 2020. I am the primary applicant. Due to a personal emergency, i would need to return back to my home country after a soft landing in May. My husband would be continuing in Canada. I will be free after 3 months and hope to return back to Canada for the permanent stay then.
Can somebody tell me if there are any rules stating the minimum number of days before which the immigrant cannot fly back to home country after soft landing? Also, can the secondary applicant stay back in Canada though the primary applicant fly back to home country?

Think you will find that many flights will still not be operating in May. Currently people arriving in Canada but go into strict quarantine for 14 days. Very hard to predict what the rules will be in a month or so but yes after landing one person can leave although this has become much more complicated with quarantine requirements. It is unclear if you can head back to the airport mid quarantine and return to your home country.

 

[Ammu_Jino]

Think you will find that many flights will still not be operating in May. Currently people arriving in Canada but go into strict quarantine for 14 days. Very hard to predict what the rules will be in a month or so but yes after landing one person can leave although this has become much more complicated with quarantine requirements. It is unclear if you can head back to the airport mid quarantine and return to your home country.

Thank you for your response.

 

[Bs65]

Just expanding on the previous response:

• Under normal circumstances, there are no rules to prevent you from leaving Canada immediately after completing the landing formalities - you could even go back on the same day. This applies both to the primary applicants and any other people included in the application.
• The only thing you need to be aware of from an immigration perspective when leaving Canada is the residency obligation, which states that you need to remain in Canada for at least 730 days (2 years) in the first five years after landing (and afterwards on a rolling basis). How you split this up is completely up to you. Just pointing this out for completeness - if you plan on returning after three months, it will be completely fine.
• Obviously, the current pandemic complicates the situation. But if you are required to remain in Canada for a certain amount of time, it will be due to quarantine/public health reasons, and not due to any immigration rules.

Just to add that whilst there is nothing in writing I think it is safe to assume that the 14 day mandatory quarantine by its nature means that an individual must stay in quarantine and not leave for example back to the airport at any time during the 14 days to fly out of Canada.

If that were possible then what would be the point of a 14 day mandatory quarantine given someone could jump on a plane not realising they were infectious.

Alternatively they arrive at the airport mid quarantine are health checked found to be showing symptoms, not allowed to board, asked why they have broken quarantine and then who knows given the significant financial penalty or even worst case jail time.

As above In normal cirircumstances soft landings are not an issue, even leaving same day, but in the current emergency they are discouraged unless someone is prepared to isolate for a minimum of 14 days. How long this mandatory quarantine will continue nobody can predict however air travel itself will likely not be the same for years with pre boarding health checks and even for a while distancing on planes. The latter will result in signifacnt increases in airfares due to reduced capacity.

 

[TMELL]

It would seem that the overriding reason for the quarantine is to defeat the possibility of a person from outside Canada infecting Canadians when they land in Canada. But the premise behind soft landing is that this person will not stay in Canada, but immediately leave Canada, so this would perfectly eliminate any chance of infecting Canadians. Canada is discouraging soft landings because they perceive them as non-essential, but for those who have CoPRs that are about to expire, the soft landing is indeed a very urgent need. And by immediately returning and not traveling past the port of entry, no one in Canada is placed in harm's way. This presents a significant quandary for the immigrant, with no apparent resolution at this point. Does anyone have an insight here that might help?

 

[canuck78]

It would seem that the overriding reason for the quarantine is to defeat the possibility of a person from outside Canada infecting Canadians when they land in Canada. But the premise behind soft landing is that this person will not stay in Canada, but immediately leave Canada, so this would perfectly eliminate any chance of infecting Canadians. Canada is discouraging soft landings because they perceive them as non-essential, but for those who have CoPRs that are about to expire, the soft landing is indeed a very urgent need. And by immediately returning and not traveling past the port of entry, no one in Canada is placed in harm's way. This presents a significant quandary for the immigrant, with no apparent resolution at this point. Does anyone have an insight here that might help?

Soft landings do put people at risk because you do have interaction with immigration and if you fly you interact with thousands of people going through airports. That is why at land borders people are not being allowed to land and return to the US. They are allowed to do a soft landing if remaining for a longer time in Canada. People need clarification on whether they can still land at the airport and return on the same day never leaving the airport.

 

[TMELL]

Agreed, we need clarification on whether we can land at the airport and return on the same day and never leaving the airport, thereby minimizing risks to Canadians.

 

[canuck78]

Agreed, we need clarification on whether we can land at the airport and return on the same day and never leaving the airport, thereby minimizing risks to Canadians.

Doesn’t minimize risk to Canadians. You would have gone straight into quarantine. You do lessen the chances of using the healthcare system. Unless you get sick while in transit you won’t end up using the healthcare system in Canada. You are essentially spreading your germs from your home to Canada and back while exposing lots of people so the process allows you to land without having to commit to 14 days in quarantine but in a way that exposes a lot of people.

 

[TMELL]

The idea was is not to do a firm entry into Canada, simply land and return. No time in Canada except to land. In and out the same day. Minimize any possible interaction with the public. The alternative means being quarantined, which requires travel to quarantine location, spending 14 days there, and then travel back to airport, meaning more time in Canada potential exposing Canadians. Not necessary with soft landing. I agree with your comment that "people need clarification on whether they can still land at the airport and return on the same day never leaving the airport." Makes sense, thanks.

 

[chilkootcee]

You're sitting on an aircraft with many others who will be staying in Canada for any length of time. This exposes many people to risks that are not necessary. Canada has now implemented a rule where soft landings are not allowed for this very reason.

 

[TMELL]

Haven't been on an airplane since last year, never intended to, was only planning travel by car. That is moot now, since I landed in May, by car, and did the quarantine. Have a good day.