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The one-year anniversary of the quasi-shutdown of the Canada-U.S. border will come and go next week, with no end in sight to disruptions that have affected lives, businesses, and communities touching the world's so-called longest undefended frontier.Once again, the tightening will be extended on March 21 for another month as it has every month since the pandemic crashed onto this continent last year.
Once again, the people most affected will wonder what the plan is for reopening and what sorts of public-health stats would allow regular travel to resume.
The truth is: There is no plan.
Conversations with officials in both countries in recent days revealed that, even as vaccinations ramp up, neither government has defined what it will take to reopen the border.
They say there's no secret document laying out such benchmarks — such as, for example, the number of vaccine doses required for a return to normal, or the number of coronavirus cases reported.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/canada-border-restriction-reopening-1.5948695
Well, the March 31 deadline has passed, and they still have not accepted waiver applications for nonessential travel. I called our border today and they confirmed that they are not taking any packets until the border reopens for nonessential travel. Our theory was a long shot at best. However, it will be interesting to see if they will now accept an L-1 application at the border.
Ken Scott
Senior U.S. Immigration Law Intelligence Analyst
www.usentrywaiverservices.com
888 908-3841
604 332-9213
Just to add to the information above, Ontario is about to go into a total lockdown at midnight tonight. WIth ICU beds nearly full, the covid variant is apparently affecting younger people, and it is hitting them faster and with more severity.
I'll update when I have more information.
Just an update on the border.
Its clear that although the United States is 18% vaccinated as of yesterday, Canada is in the middle of a 3rd wave of Covid. ICU beds are almost full in Ontario, and I guarantee people got together during Easter.
I can't see any way the border is open in April. Realistically, I think June is a possibility. May seems too soon with numbers trending the way they are.
We have proposed a theory regarding when the USA border MAY start accepting waiver packets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgafHiqTjdQ
https://www.youtube.com/c/Us-entry-waiver?sub_confirmation=1
Ken Scott
Senior U.S. Immigration Law Intelligence Analyst
www.usentrywaiverservices.com
888 908-3841
604 332-9213
Thi sis the "official" announcement of April 21st. But I don't see it opening on that date either.
I am telling clients May 21st at best. Could be summer.
https://www.680news.com/2021/03/18/canada-u-s-border-restrictions-extended-to-april-21st/?
@John, I agree with you; clients have asked me if an extension to a waiver will be granted because of border closed. I tell them I don't think so, as you can still travel (fly) but with restrictions. In the past, client's had 1 year waivers, that they never used for some reason, and USA did not give an extension. Once it was expired, you had to re-apply. Same thing with passports, I don't think the Canadian Government is going to give extensions to passports because travel was restricted. But this is all new, and we can only guess at this time.
@Ashley
-correct, not accepting applications at this time (except for essential truck drivers)
-if you have a current waiver, you can fly now
-I doubt they will extend it, but I don't have any proof that they will or won't.
I don't think the US thinks of Waivers like Canadians do. Canadians think of it as a "product". They think of it as "authorization for a period of time". When that time is up, you have to re-apply.
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