Recommended documentation for travel
Global Affairs Canada will provide a letter to the client confirming their eligibility for this exemption.
Important note: Regular travel document requirements for air travel and entry to Canada continue to apply. Foreign nationals who are exempted from the travel restrictions must continue to meet all travel document requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations.
Role of IRCC
Consular officials who require assistance to confirm that a foreign national passenger is eligible for this exemption will seek guidance from Global Affairs Canada through established channels.
Government of Canada officials may contact the IRCC Operations Support Centre (OSC) to confirm citizenship or immigration status and to verify family relationships to the extent that this information is available in Citizenship, Immigration or Passport program records.
Accredited officials
The interim order exempts foreign nationals who are exempt from the requirement to obtain a temporary resident visa under paragraph 190(2)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and their immediate family members. Note that the broader definition of immediate family members continues to apply.
The foreign national must hold a passport that contains a diplomatic acceptance, a consular acceptance or an official acceptance issued by the Chief of Protocol for the Global Affairs Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada and are a properly accredited diplomat, consular officer, representative or official of a country other than Canada, of the United Nations or any of its agencies, or of any international organization of which Canada is a member.
Protected persons
The interim order exempts protected persons within the meaning of subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
A protected person is a person on whom refugee protection is conferred under
subsection 95(1), and whose claim or application has not subsequently been deemed to be rejected under subsection
108(3),
109(3) or
114(4) of IRPA. The only document that may presented to provide proof of this status is a Canadian Refugee Travel Document issued by IRCC, in line with section 39(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
National interest
The interim order exempts a foreign national whose presence in Canada, in the opinion of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship or the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, is in the national interest.
This exemption may only be applied by any of the 3 ministers listed. The decision for the exemption will be made by the respective minister. The IRCC Case Management Branch will manage these situations in accordance with existing processes.
Transit passengers
The interim order exempts foreign nationals in transit through Canada to another country. Given the interplay between the interim order under the Aeronautics Act and related emergency orders under the Quarantine Act, the airport of arrival into Canada must have the facilities to permit the foreign national to connect to their destination without the foreign national having to present themselves for examination to enter Canada.
Crew members
The interim order exempts foreign national crew members, including those arriving by air to join a vessel.
Airlines will permit boarding for seafarers travelling to Canada to join a ship’s crew if they are holding a seafarer’s identity document supplemented by a passport or other seafarer documentation, including proof of employment on a vessel at a Canadian port.
This exemption does not affect regular travel document and permit requirements for foreign nationals under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
Canadian citizens travelling on a foreign passport
Canadian citizens are encouraged to carry a valid Canadian passport at all times. Exceptionally, Canadian citizens may travel to Canada on a visa-exempt foreign passport with a special authorization. When this special authorization is issued, IRCC will produce a confirmation email approving the special authorization. For the purposes of the interim order, the Canadian citizen can provide this email to the airline to show they are not a foreign national, and therefore not subject to this travel restriction. Note that the foreign passport number in the approval email should match the traveller’s foreign passport number.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/service-delivery/coronavirus/travel-restrictions.html