Starting July 5, 2021 at 11:59pm EST. the Government of Canada is introducing exemptions for fully vaccinated travellers who meet specific conditions.  You may qualify for certain exemptions to quarantine and testing requirements if you:

• are eligible to enter Canada
• are asymptomatic
• meet the Government of Canada requirements of fully vaccinated travellers
• meet all other entry requirements, including entering your information in ArriveCAN before arrival

Those who meet the requirements may be exempt from:

• quarantine
• hotel stopover (for air travellers)
• day-8 testing requirement

Travel restrictions on who can enter Canada remain in place.

To be considered fully vaccinated, you must have received the full series of a vaccine – or a combination of vaccines – accepted by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to entering Canada. The list of accepted vaccines may expand in the future.

If you received your vaccines outside Canada, it’s still accepted but proof of vaccination must be uploaded digitally in ArriveCAN and must only be in French or English, or certified translation into French or English.

As of January 7th 2021, all travellers seeking entry to Canada are required to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 molecular polymerase chain reaction (or PCR) test completed 72 hours prior to their flight departure (96 hours for select destinations: https://tc.canada.ca/en/initiatives/covid-19-measures-updates-guidance-issued-transport-canada

Please visit this link for more information. 

For students travelling internationally, you must familiarize yourself with COVID-19 testing requirements prior to booking your flight. Some countries also require proof of a negative COVID-19 test to travel along with other requirements.  

For students needing a negative COVID-19 test to travel outside of Canada, testing for international travel is currently only being done by a private lab company Northstream Labs in Thunder Bay.  (Message from NorthStream Labs: Please be advised that our 888 number is not working at present, however it should be restored within the week. To reach us please call 807-630-4446 or 807-631-3020.)  Please visit their webpage for information on how to access their testing services. Do not contact Thunder Bay Public Health Unit, as they will not perform COVID-19 tests for international travel at this time.

Yes, you can still continue your winter semester online, however these courses will not be counted towards your post-graduate work permit duration upon graduation. They will however be counted towards your course requirements for degree completion. We would recommend you make an appointment with Lakehead University’s Immigration Advisor at 

https://www.lakeheadu.ca/international/online-community/appointments?service=Immigration+Advising

To resubmit your study permit application right away if you decide to continue your studies.