How to move to Canada without a vaccine: 4 ways
If you have not yet been vaccinated against covid, it is likely that your route to Canada will soon be closed to you.
In January, new border measures will come into effect in Canada that are even stricter than they are now. There will be very few cases in which unvaccinated travellers will be allowed into the country.
There is just one piece of good news: Canada has approved several more vaccines against coronavirus. So if you couldn't get vaccinated in your country to come to Canada, chances are you can now.
I will talk about 4 ways you can get into the country if you don't have approved vaccines in your home country or if you don't want to get vaccinated at all.
New restrictions
Canada opened its borders to tourists a while ago because the pandemic situation was improving. Now, on tourist visas, you can enter if you are fully vaccinated, and with a student, work or immigration visa, you don't need to be vaccinated. So, if you find a job in Canada or go to college, no one is forcing you to be vaccinated, you can safely fly in.
But starting January 15, the rules will tighten, and almost no one will be able to fly to Canada without the vaccine. There are very few exceptions.
If you fly to Canada to work, study, or visit relatives who live in the country — in all these cases, they won't let you in without a vaccination. And that's too bad, because now employment and entry to university are some of the surest ways to get a permanent residence in Canada later on.
Another important thing: Only vaccines that are approved in Canada are accepted. Currently, these are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. But as of November 30, Canada also recognizes three more drugs: Sinopharm, Sinovac and Covaxin. So if you don't have Pfizer or Moderna in your country, there may be three new vaccines you can fly into Canada with.
Entry without vaccination
There are only a few cases where you can avoid getting vaccinated to enter Canada:
- you found work in agriculture or the food industry;
- you're a crew member of a seagoing vessel;
- you arrive with an immigration visa. That is, you do not come to work or study and then, while in Canada, get a permanent residence permit, but you immediately apply for one of the immigration programs and you are invited into it.
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In these cases, after entry you will have to observe 14 days of self-isolation, and even before departure and upon arrival you will have to take a covid test.
So now you only have 4 ways to get into Canada. The first is to enter before January 15, then you will not be required to get the vaccine. But this is suitable for those who are already in the process of, for example, applying for a visa. In other cases, it is unlikely that you will make it in time.
The second option: you find a job in the agricultural or food industry, and then you can enter without vaccination even after January 15.
Next, you apply under the immigration program, which does not require any work experience in Canada, or graduation from a Canadian university. It may require a work contract, but if you are granted an immigrant visa right away, the vaccine requirement will not affect you. To qualify, you must meet the program criteria, i.e. be of the right age, have the right education, language level, work experience and so on.
One last option: You just get vaccinated and come to Canada. If your country does not have vaccines approved in Canada, you go to a country that does and get vaccinated there. Many people did this before vaccination was even known to be compulsory for entry.
As the measures at the border can change very quickly now, if you are planning to fly to Canada in the near future, I advise you to check the official website. We also monitor changes at the border, read the current measures in article.
Gulnara, co-host of Immigrant.Today
