Key Takeaways:
- For visitors who have received their vaccines but may not have been informed that they must submit their mandatory health information via ArriveCAN, the CBSA is allowing a one-time exception.
According to a statement from the source on Saturday, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is granting a one-time exception for travelers who have had their vaccinations but may not have been notified that they must submit their mandatory health information via ArriveCAN.
As of May 2022, this measure was implemented along the land border. It only applies to travelers without a history of breaking the law.
According to Rebecca Purdy, a spokesman for the CBSA, “vaccinated Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and those registered under the Indian Act, entering Canada, who may have been uninformed of the requirement..are excluded from quarantine, testing, and fines on a one-time basis.”
Also read: Saskatchewan welcomes more Ukrainians to the Prairies following the arrival of a flight
According to Purdy, effective on July 29, this exemption now applies to foreigners who are properly immunized and entering Canada at a land port of entry.
ArriveCAN was introduced in April 2020 as a free tool to help border guards determine a person’s eligibility to enter Canada by COVID-19 standards.
Seven months later, it became a requirement for all fliers. It applied to everyone entering the country through the land in March 2021.
The app gathers personal information, including name, contact information, address, and vaccination status, which is subsequently utilized to assist public health officials in enforcing quarantine regulations.
The one-time exemption was used 308,800 times between May 24 and August 4, 2022, according to Purdy, out of the 5,086,187 land border travelers with a right of entry.
Those properly immunized Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and Indian Act-registered individuals who do not submit their data through ArriveCAN will be subject to testing and quarantine, as well as possible fines, according to Purdy.
After their one-time expiration, foreign nationals who do not submit their information to ArriveCAN will not be permitted to enter Canada, according to Purdy.
Source: Global News