Any new students travelled or travelling, who's visa was approved before 18th March.
- Thread starter Uti
- Start date
Any updates from anyone who's just arrived in Canada?
Please share your experience with us? How about international student travel with spouse and children? (visas issued before March 18th, 2020)
My flight is cancelled (late July) but there is news about some students have just landed by another route (before-Mar-18 visa).
Please share your experience with us? How about international student travel with spouse and children? (visas issued before March 18th, 2020)
My flight is cancelled (late July) but there is news about some students have just landed by another route (before-Mar-18 visa).
Hello!
Could you please post about those students who have landed ( which country and which airlines) please ?
Have they gone for the fall (september ) term ? If so, were they allowed inside the country in spite of having fully online classes for the fall term ?
Please reply here...it will really help a lot of us...
Which country and airlines did you book through please? Just to know about travel info since you say it has been cancelled...
Can we expect that canada borders for international students will open before jan-2021?
Many Vietnamese students landed successfully and they have online classes, travel first time. They traveled through Korean Air/Cathay
That's great to hear...thanks a lot for replying!
I don't understand why CBSA agents are telling me over the phone that online classes means I won't be allowed to enter since it's non-essential.
Even if that's true, IRCC is not putting that up on their website. Leaving students to test their luck at the border.
Did these students get a letter from the college / University saying their travel is essential? And are they going to Ontario, please?
They don't have travel letter. I don;t know where they landed, but Toronto or Van probably. You can go to Twitter. Many people called and CBSA is inconsistent over the phone. Sometimes they say you can come no matter of your classes status online or offline, sometimes they say they won't consider time zone and internet issues, but other say yes they will consider, etc. many answers from CBSA till now. But the phone conversation doesn't matter. It depends on the border officers. If you're lucky enough to meet a nice one, you can get in easily, if not, they will question you and then, it's on us to convince them. It's mere luck afterallThat's great to hear...thanks a lot for replying!
I don't understand why CBSA agents are telling me over the phone that online classes means I won't be allowed to enter since it's non-essential.
Even if that's true, IRCC is not putting that up on their website. Leaving students to test their luck at the border.
Did these students get a letter from the college / University saying their travel is essential? And are they going to Ontario, please?
The information we are receiving till now has been so inconsistent - I don't know what to do now. It would be great if IRCC just puts the information on their website saying online classes are non-essential and therefore students with online classes will not be allowed entry.
Just put that up instead of having this secret rule going on which the CBSA tells us over the phone. This is so sad, and it's so not like how IRCC usually operates. They're quite methodical and procedural - wonder why they haven't addressed this "online being non-essential" thing.
At least people who have to travel 28 hours to get there will have some kind of resolution / closure/ reassurance if IRCC just puts this information up on their website, instead of letting it all be so arbitrary, and up to our luck where we may / may not get a nice CBSA officer at the port of entry.
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That's what they should have done like 3 months ago. I already booked a quarantine place, a ticket, and found a permanent place to live after quarantine. It's not that simple and easy to study abroad, just come and study. We have so much to prepare, not mentioning the money that we paid for tuition. Online classes can never have the same quality as in person, but we still comply with all the rules. We have to pay so much, and now face many difficulties. What would be the reasons to refuse us?
I so agree with everything that you've said. It's after all so much money in tuition that we pay. International students alone bring in nearly $21 billion it seems every year. Just imagine!
And I'm in huge stress over all the other things that you mentioned like booking the flight ticket, housing, quarantine, etc. because I don't even know whether I'm travelling in the first place. So how are we supposed to proceed?
The latest IRCC news release also addresses only those whose permit applications are in process now - it does not address those people who were approved before 18th but are in confusion regarding travel due to this essential/non-essential rule.
Of course, it's absolutely not that simple and easy to study abroad. How I wish we could get back to pre-covid times. This situation has just compounded our difficulties.
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Hi guys, is there anyone who is planning to travel in August/September from India? I haven't booked the tickets or anything because of uncertainty but it would be very difficult to manage to study after midnight especially if you are working during the daytime. Have there been instances of entry refusals after reaching Canada?
Hii
I'm planning to travel from India by August / September as well!
And I also haven't booked my tickets yet due to flights not being available. Which airlines are you looking at - at this moment, it's only the Air India Vande Bharat Mission flights that are operating, right?
I don't know about entry refusals after reaching Canada, but I've been hearing that Air India has been denying boarding to many students in Delhi, saying that CBSA has not allowed them to enter the flight. It seems airline officials are contacting CBSA somehow and asking whether a person should be allowed to board.
And CBSA is denying permission if the person has online classes ( saying that online classes means it's non-essential ).
Other scheduled flights of other airlines are not operating from India to Canada, as far as I know. Sad thing is Air India is monopolizing the travel, charging 4 lakh INR for 1 ticket ( nearly 5 times the normal amount), and then denying boarding to 1st time travellers.
I really hope IRCC publishes this information about online classes being non-essential so that we can be spared of losing Lakhs and lakhs by being denied boarding in Delhi / entry in Canada.
Many of us are middle-class, have worked so hard all along to get into a master's program at a top public university, and can't afford to lose so much money.
I hope this message somehow reaches IRCC, and they can kindly post on their website that " online classes are non-essential and therefore students with online classes will not be allowed entry ".
Instead of CBSA agents conveying this new rule over the phone with ambiguity, IRCC should please put this information up.
I have to arrange for housing if I have to go there for September. I have to pay so many lakhs for housing, and finally, if I'm going to be denied entry due to online classes, I'll end up losing so many lakhs that I simply can't afford in life.
IRCC is the only source of information for people like me who have applied by themselves and obtained a study permit approval. There's no way to call them / contact them also. I really hope they put thus information up on their website.
Yes I completely understand your situation. I didn't know that Air India is charging so much! The only way forward seems to be that of the travel restrictions being eased which with the current situation seems to be too far-fetched a wish. This pandemic has changed everything.
Guess the only thing that can be done is to hope that this phase passes by.
Yes I completely understand your situation. I didn't know that Air India is charging so much! The only way forward seems to be that of the travel restrictions being eased which with the current situation seems to be too far-fetched a wish. This pandemic has changed everything.
Guess the only thing that can be done is to hope that this phase passes by.
Thank you for the kind words. Yes I agree, the only thing we can do now is hope that this situation passes by quickly because September is fast approaching.