The Government of Canada has announced that as of Oct. 20 it is easing travel restrictions for international students at select learning institutions whose COVID-19 readiness plan has been approved by their provincial or territorial government. Queen’s is among the initial list of designated learning institutions that can now welcome international students to Canada.
In order to have its COVID-19 readiness plan approved, Queen’s engaged in a rigorous process of consultation and assessment with the federal and provincial governments as well as local public health officials. This process has ensured that the plan meets all federal, provincial, and local public health standards.
The Queen’s COVID-19 readiness plan addresses many different aspects in meticulous detail, including outlining all transportation and quarantine requirements. For instance, the university will provide chartered coaches to transport arriving students from the airport to their quarantine location in Kinston. Queen’s has also arranged with local hotels to make quarantine accommodation packages available to arriving international students.
The university is communicating directly with international students to ensure that they understand the public health requirements and protocols for entering Canada, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. All international students must arrange quarantine plans and discuss them with the university before travelling. They must also provide a negative COVID-19 test at the end of the quarantine period before entering the community. Queen’s will help facilitate the COVID-19 test near the end of the 14 days.
While students are in quarantine, Queen’s staff members will be in touch with them daily via phone or email to check in on their physical and mental wellbeing. Students will also have access to remote wellness services and virtual social engagement opportunities while they complete their quarantine.
International students are not required to travel to Kingston, and they can still make progress toward their degrees if they remain outside Canada.
The university is expecting a limited number of students to travel to Canada in the short term. To establish more precise numbers, the Queen’s University International Centre will be conducting a survey of all international students in the coming weeks.
This development does not affect the university’s return-to-campus plans, as the majority of operations will continue to be conducted remotely.
Learn more about the support Queen’s offers for international students considering travel on the Queen’s University International Centre website.