Fully Vaccinated Travel

To be able to enter Canada as a student, you must meet 3 requirements:

1. If you are 18 years of age or older, you must qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller in order to travel to Canada. If you are 17 years of age or under, you are permitted to travel to Canada even if you are not fully vaccinated. Please check the most current guidelines for travel to Canada.

2. You must have a valid study permit or a letter of introduction that shows you were approved for a study permit*.

3. You must be attending a designated learning institution (DLI)**.

*Stage 1 approval/AIP does not count as final approval.
**York University is on the list of designated learning institutions (DLIs) with an approved COVID-19 readiness plan.

One [1] immediate family member may be able to travel with you to Canada if they have an essential reason (non-discretionary) reason for travel. Click here for more information.

If an immediate family member wants to join you later, whether they require prior written authorization from IRCC depends on where they are traveling from. Click here for more information.

All travellers 18 years or older must qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller to enter Canada.

Confirm you qualify as fully vaccinated

Vaccines accepted by the Government of Canada for the purpose of travel to and within Canada:

• AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222)
• Bharat Biotech (Covaxin, BBV152 A, B, C)
• Janssen/Johnson & Johnson
• Medicago Covifenz
• Moderna (Spikevax, mRNA-1273) including for children aged 6 to 11 years
• Novavax (NVX-COV2373, Nuvaxovid, Covovax)
• Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2) including for children aged 5 to 11 years
• Sinopharm BIBP (BBIBP-CorV)
• Sinovac (CoronaVac, PiCoVacc)

To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller, you must have received, at least 14 calendar days by the day you travel:

• at least 2 doses of a vaccine accepted by the Government of Canada for the purpose of travel
• or a mix of 2 accepted vaccines
• or at least 1 dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine

You must use the ArriveCAN mobile app or sign in on a computer to enter your proof of vaccination and travel information. To be ready for your trip, create your ArriveCAN account. Please read this website carefully and follow all instructions related to using ArriveCAN.

You must also submit a proof of vaccination in English or French (certified translations will be accepted) to ArriveCAN.

If your travel date has changed, you can make a new submission with your new travel dates/information. ArriveCAN will accept your most recent submission as the correct one.

IMPORTANT: You must submit the ArriveCAN information before you board your flight to Canada (we recommend at least 48 hours in advance) and you must confirm you’ve arrived at the address you provided for your quarantine location with 48 hours of your entry to Canada. Travellers who fail to submit the required information digitally before boarding their flight could be subject to enforcement action, which can range from verbal warnings to a $1,000 fine.

Students no longer need to register in advance for on arrival tests, but are encouraged to register for a free Switch Health account if flying to Toronto Pearson Airport. This will make testing quicker if you are randomly selected upon arrival.

Flying to Canada: COVID-19 Testing for Travellers
Driving to Canada: COVID-19 Testing for Travellers

You must submit proof of vaccination to ArriveCAN before your departure.  This can be in English or French or a certified translation into English or French.

For more info on proof of vaccinations, visit the Government of Canada website.

The list of vaccines approved for travel to Canada can differ from the vaccines approved by Health Canada. Please review here, the list of vaccines approved for travel to Canada. International travelers 18 years of age and older must be fully-vaccinated.

Yes. The fact that your studies are online do not prevent your entry to Canada. However, you must ensure that you meet the requirements indicated in the current travel restrictions, as explained above in "Confirm you are eligible to travel".

Please see Canada's information for fully vaccinated travellers page for more information.

Please contact Housing for more information about changing your move-in date.

No. The hotels York is working with do not accommodate pets.

If you have a service animal, please contact quarantine@yorku.ca

If you are an international student who is registered as active in a degree program, you will be enrolled under UHIP within a week of arriving in Canada effective the date of your arrival (after August 10, 2022). If you do not receive your UHIP card within the week, please visit the UHIP website.

For further information regarding UHIP, please visit https://yorkinternational.yorku.ca/uhip/.

COVID Testing for Travel Outside Canada - Announcement by the Ontario Government

As of Dec 11, 2020, the Ontario government has announced that they will no longer cover COVID testing for outbound international travellers. This announcement can be found here. UHIP will also not cover COVID testing for outbound international travellers.

If you need a COVID test for travelling outside Canada, some pharmacies like Shoppers Drug Mart* and labs like LifeLabs* are offering these tests at a cost.  UHIP does not cover any COVID test expenses.

*NOTE: It is your responsibility to check with your airline to confirm the COVID testing requirements for your flight.

Fully Vaccinated travelers may be randomly selected upon arrival to take a Covid-19 test. Travelers do not need to quarantine while awaiting their test results.