When Will Canada Open to US Travelers?
As another deadline comes and goes, Canada remains closed to travelers from the United States
The August 21 date that was supposed to be the final deadline for excluding US travelers across the Canadian border for anything but essential travel has been quietly moved again.
On August 14, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted, “We have agreed to extend the measures in place by another 30 days, until September 21. We’re taking this step to keep people in both our countries safe – because your health and safety is always our top priority.”
The push back date has been moved back several times since the initial closure on March 21 and a recent BBC poll shows that most Canadians do not want American travelers until 2021 at least.
Currently, only Americans on vital business (such as delivering essentials by truck) or direct relatives of Canadians (immediate family only) can cross the border. Companies with offices in Canada and the US are permitted to send employees to live and work in Canada if they have the proper immigration papers.
However business and leisure travel up north may have to wait until the Canadian government determines that the United States COVID-19 numbers are sufficiently low to allow the regular cross border access that has been a hallmark of US-Canadian relations for over 100 years.
