As COVID-19 cases continue to soar in the U.S., the decision has been made to extend the U.S. Canada border closure for another 30 days, through to November 21, 2020. There are approximately 8 million+ cases of COVID-19 currently in the U.S. The U.S Canada border shutdown has been ongoing since March, with extensions every month.
The announcement was tweeted by Prime Minister Trudeau on October 19th. In a recent interview last week, Prime Minister Trudeau said that the border between the two neighboring countries would remain restricted until the U.S. gets a handle on their coronavirus outbreak, which is the worst in the world in terms of both confirmed deaths and fatalities attributed to the virus. Prime Minister Trudeau has also said “We keep extending the border closures because the United States is not in a place where we would feel comfortable reopening those borders”.
In addition, Bill Blair, Canada’s public safety minister, said on Twitter the decision to extend the closure was made based on “the best public health advice available to keep Canadians safe.”
This is a completely contradictory statement to what President Trump made on September 18th, which was “So we’re gonna be opening the borders pretty soon…. We want to get back to normal business.” He also commented that Canada wanted to re-open the borders, which is the exact opposite view of Canada.
With the knowledge of the border restrictions being continuously extended, the Government of Canada has implemented several measures to balance the need for protecting the health and welfare of Canadians, but at the same time, recognizing that there may be reasons to modify or relax travel restrictions. In efforts to balance these, Canada has announced that it is modifying entry rules for immediate families, and as of October 8th, for international students, extended family members, and compassionate grounds for friends and family.
With the contrasting statements and the second wave of COVID-19 in full swing, it does not appear the borders will re-open any time in the near future.
If you require assistance with travel into Canada, please contact our office for a personalized one on one consultation with a Licensed U.S./Canadian Immigration Lawyer.
