Important update: COVID-19 travel restrictions for international students
There have been some important updates to COVID-19 travel restrictions provided by Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Canada (IRCC).
As of October 20 international students cannot travel to Canada from abroad unless their institution’s COVID-19 readiness plan is approved by the provincial government as per the latest IRCC travel update.
Western’s plan has been submitted to the Government of Ontario. While awaiting approval, the following advisories are in effect:
- international students at Western who are currently abroad will not be allowed to travel to Canada until further notice.
- international students who are in Canada and choose to travel internationally will not be able to return until Western’s COVID-19 readiness plan is approved.
The Government of Ontario is reviewing institutional COVID-19 readiness plans in phases. We anticipate approval for Western’s plan will be received in mid- to late-November.
This means international students planning travel between October 20 and the time of approval will need to cancel or postpone plans. This includes those who may have international travel planned during fall reading week (November 2 to 8), unless they are intending to remain outside of Canada for an extended period of time.
We recommend international students do not make travel plans until Western’s COVID-19 readiness plan is approved. We will email students and update the IESC COVID-19 FAQ website as soon as we receive approval and travel is possible again.
We understand this may be disappointing news for some students. If you have any questions, please contact iesc@uwo.ca or book an appointment with an international student advisor.
