Has anyone travelled recently to Canada

[Arman Purba Kainth]

Hi,
Has anyone travelled recently whose visa was approved before March 18? Did you get the study permit issued at the border? Thanks

 

[Mojito5]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1295106834878156800

 

[GradStudent18]

I have a genuine question here:


We keep hearing every single day ( both here as well as on Twitter ) that many international students who are 1st time entrants to Canada, with FULLY ONLINE classes for the fall, are being allowed in EASILY at different ports of entry - Winnipeg, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Prince Edward Island.



These international students go from different countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, UAE, Vietnam, South Korea, USA, UK, Caribbean, Nigeria. They're only asked to show the port of entry letter of introduction issued before March 18th, & are just being allowed in, without even being asked anything else. One can easily find numerous such experiences posted here in this forum itself.



This really makes others with approval before March 18th, to wonder whether they'll also be allowed in as easily if they take the chance & travel.


Those who enter don't have to contend with any 50% limit for PGWP eligibility, but those starting from home have to live with a sword hanging over their head with a 50% within-Canada limit for the PGWP ( even after getting into a highly rigorous, research-intensive graduate level master's program ). All this only because grad level courses are deemed " non-essential " due to the online mode of studying.

 

[Mojito5]

I think there is no sure fire way of knowing unless one gives it a shot. As long as you are confident with your reasons, you have the proper documentation, and you are aware of the possible risks, then it should be okay to try. At this point it’s more of a personal decision depending on the need of each individual case. There will be a different case for every person and it would be tricky to rely on forums or twitter, as I would assume that it’s a small sample size of the total population of International Students, and not everyone will have the same situation. Universities and schools discourage flying for now, as they don’t want to be held accountable (and rightfully so), should the students be denied at the border. Just be ready with all the possible documentation in any case. Better to be prepared than to be turned away.

 

[GradStudent18]

I agree with what you're saying @Mojito5 .

But don't you think IRCC & CBSA need to consistent & fair in making it explicitly clear as to who will be allowed in & who will be sent back home from the border there?


They allow students inside for certificate programs, who being fake letters from colleges stating "presence is essential", when in fact, their courses are all online & that there's no reason their physical presence is mandatory there. The courses can well be completed from home remotely & are not research-intensive requiring lab work unlike the grad master's level.


And on the other hand, universities reject requests for a support letter from students who are starting a rigorous grad program.

I'm not saying this on the basis on a small sample size or anything. There is enough documentary evidence & proof & I keep hearing that students are allowed in everyday with those fake support letters.

And even if the sample size is small, it still means some people are being allowed in & others are not. Some get to escape the 50% requirement while others are forced to start the program from home. Even though both sets of people have approval before March 18th.


Isn't Canada supposed to be a fair & just nation in how they treat outsiders? Why are some allowed in & others denied even though both sets of people have the same documents? Why can't they either allow everyone with approval before March 18th inside, OR not allow anyone in at all?


And please don't say it's all about taking chances & risks. Travelling 24 hours by flight to reach there is in itself an ordeal for people from poor countries who are disadvantaged socially & economically in life. Reaching this point with consistent high academic merit deserves some semblance of fair & just rules & guidelines being applied to us.


It cannot & should not be that arbitrary, that it's upto one's luck whether they'll meet a nice CBSA officer. There need to be concrete guidelines as to who they'll allow in & who they'll deny - they should not be doing this "discretion of officer" thing when it's blatantly being unfair to some people.

6 months into border closure now - they could come up with proper, consistent guidelines especially during a pandemic when otherwise too, we have numerous problems to deal with. Them being arbitrary & inconsistent is so uncharacteristic & not expected. Makes life even more difficult when there are already other critical, devastating issues to deal with.

 

[Mojito5]

I understand what you’re saying and just like you, this situation has also been causing me anxiety. At this point though, how IRCC or CSBA handles the situation is beyond our control, and inasmuch as it really isn’t ideal, we’ll have to do what will be best for our individual case.

There’s a risk whatever decision we make- if we fly and get denied, then it’s a waste of time, effort, money and energy. But there’s also a chance of getting through without issues (like what you’ve mentioned). There are 2 students who I know of who got through with the support letter given by the university - one has purely online classes, and the other with blended learning (online and on-campus). Both have visas issued before March 18. On the other hand, if we stay, then we’ll still have to find a way to fly to complete 50% of the studies there.

It’s not ideal at all, but for your own peace of mind, I think it would be best to do what you think would work for your situation. If it’s really important and imperative for you to fly, then you can stand by that decision.

I’ve already rebooked twice and by now, I’ve decided to start remotely and fly out during the Fall Break sometime in October. I have an on-campus component and I talked to the Program Director of my University, and they were considerate enough to work with my situation and schedule my on-campus work when I get to fly out.

 

[GradStudent18]

I understand what you’re saying and just like you, this situation has also been causing me anxiety. At this point though, how IRCC or CSBA handles the situation is beyond our control, and inasmuch as it really isn’t ideal, we’ll have to do what will be best for our individual case.

There’s a risk whatever decision we make- if we fly and get denied, then it’s a waste of time, effort, money and energy. But there’s also a chance of getting through without issues (like what you’ve mentioned). There are 2 students who I know of who got through with the support letter given by the university - one has purely online classes, and the other with blended learning (online and on-campus). Both have visas issued before March 18. On the other hand, if we stay, then we’ll still have to find a way to fly to complete 50% of the studies there.

It’s not ideal at all, but for your own peace of mind, I think it would be best to do what you think would work for your situation. If it’s really important and imperative for you to fly, then you can stand by that decision.

I’ve already rebooked twice and by now, I’ve decided to start remotely and fly out during the Fall Break sometime in October. I have an on-campus component and I talked to the Program Director of my University, and they were considerate enough to work with my situation and schedule my on-campus work when I get to fly out.

I totally agree with all the points you've made. Stark reality but that's the unfortunate truth.


I sincerely thank you for understanding the situation & my concerns regarding the issues we students are facing now.

I agree we need to evaluate which risk we are ready to take. Sad.

Anyway, thanks a lot for your reply, understanding & accurate analysis of the situation.