On December 17th, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced that Canada has removed the ban on overseas travel from ten African countries.
On November 26th, Canada imposed the ban on seven African nations, but it was quickly increased to ten: South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Nigeria, Malawi, and Egypt. The ban was supposed to expire on January 31st. Canada will also reintroduce pre-arrival screening for all new entering visitors.
According to the administration, the bans were initially imposed owing to a large number of travellers from certain nations testing positive for coronavirus. African political leaders and scientists, on the other hand, chastised Canada for only including African nations in its embargo, despite the fact that the Omicron variant had been found in 44 countries at the time.
Canada was also the only country in the Group of Seven to require its people to return with a COVID-19 test from a third country, although this requirement was temporarily suspended for South Africa.
The federal government also requires tourists who are still permitted to enter Canada from certain nations to obtain a negative COVID-19 test in a third country before boarding — a requirement that many claim has made traveling to Canada nearly difficult. Over the weekend, the government suspended that requirement for South Africa.
The embargo imposed by Canada, along with other Western countries, became known as "travel apartheid." Tendros Adhanom Ghebrevesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, called the restrictions "disappointing." Advocates from Canada have also urged for the regulations to be repealed.
When Canada's two top doctors were asked about the reason for keeping the ban in place in mid-December, one claimed there was none, and the other suggested the bans should be reconsidered.
With Canada's borders reopened to potential migrants, it is vital to get ahead of the queue before the expected January backlog. Contact a New World Immigration consultant right now to ensure that you and your family have a brighter future in Canada.