Earlier this year, Canada announced that international students would be exempt from a travel ban as long as they had a valid study permit or had been approved for a study permit before March 18, 2020.
However, new rules mean that the Canada Border Services Agency is only letting students into the country if their travel is ‘non-discretionary or non-optional’.
Confusion around these restrictions have led to students being turned away from flights by airlines even though they have bought tickets, have study permits and believed they were allowed to travel.
“When I reached the IGI Airport in Delhi, I was trying to board, but the staff of Air India was not letting me [on the plane],” Ramanpreet Kaur, an international student who has a place at Lambton College in Sarnia, told The PIE.
“They checked all my documents and asked me for the Port of Entry letter, in which my college mentioned that my presence in Canada is essential.
“I was stuck there and arguing with the managers for three hours. I explained all my situation to them and showed all the documents which I had but they refused me again for boarding,” Kaur said.
Kaur said that eight other Indian students were prevented from flying, one of whom was taking a hybrid course at a Canadian university.
A statement on the Canadian government’s website explains that prior to boarding, air carriers are instructed to conduct an assessment of foreign nationals’ ability to travel to Canada based on CBSA guidance for the travel restrictions.
However, the decision to allow entry into Canada will rest with CBSA officers.
“CBSA continues to share and disseminate guidance to air carrier stakeholders, in the context of our role to provide guidance to airlines on persons appropriately documented to seek to fly to Canada,” a spokesperson told The PIE.
The PIE asked Air India exactly how it applies this guidance to assess whether a student is eligible to travel to Canada but did not receive a reply at the time of publication.
CBSA told The PIE that between March 22 and July 22, 235 foreign nationals travelling trans-border by air were denied entry into Canada. It did not say what number were international students.
04/08/20 Pie News
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However, new rules mean that the Canada Border Services Agency is only letting students into the country if their travel is ‘non-discretionary or non-optional’.
Confusion around these restrictions have led to students being turned away from flights by airlines even though they have bought tickets, have study permits and believed they were allowed to travel.
“When I reached the IGI Airport in Delhi, I was trying to board, but the staff of Air India was not letting me [on the plane],” Ramanpreet Kaur, an international student who has a place at Lambton College in Sarnia, told The PIE.
“They checked all my documents and asked me for the Port of Entry letter, in which my college mentioned that my presence in Canada is essential.
“I was stuck there and arguing with the managers for three hours. I explained all my situation to them and showed all the documents which I had but they refused me again for boarding,” Kaur said.
Kaur said that eight other Indian students were prevented from flying, one of whom was taking a hybrid course at a Canadian university.
A statement on the Canadian government’s website explains that prior to boarding, air carriers are instructed to conduct an assessment of foreign nationals’ ability to travel to Canada based on CBSA guidance for the travel restrictions.
However, the decision to allow entry into Canada will rest with CBSA officers.
“CBSA continues to share and disseminate guidance to air carrier stakeholders, in the context of our role to provide guidance to airlines on persons appropriately documented to seek to fly to Canada,” a spokesperson told The PIE.
The PIE asked Air India exactly how it applies this guidance to assess whether a student is eligible to travel to Canada but did not receive a reply at the time of publication.
CBSA told The PIE that between March 22 and July 22, 235 foreign nationals travelling trans-border by air were denied entry into Canada. It did not say what number were international students.
04/08/20 Pie News
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