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Hey guys,

My COPR will expire on April 6 and although the news announced by IRCC is a relief, I am staying in the UAE which has a travel restriction in place till April 1 which means that I wouldn’t be able to return even if I travelled to Canada next week. The UAE might renew the travel restrictions upon expiry on April 1 which would make it even more difficult considering my COPR is expiring in a few days.
Your suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you
HAve you sent a web form to IRCC to register that you have travel issues due to COVID, you should do that as soon as possible so it is in the system. And also keep in mind that airlines are continuously reviewing their schedules so even return flight should you get to Canada can be subject to change/cancellation.
 
Hey guys,

My COPR will expire on April 6 and although the news announced by IRCC is a relief, I am staying in the UAE which has a travel restriction in place till April 1 which means that I wouldn’t be able to return even if I travelled to Canada next week. The UAE might renew the travel restrictions upon expiry on April 1 which would make it even more difficult considering my COPR is expiring in a few days.
Your suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you
I am also a resident of UAE and as per my knowledge, the is no restriction on outbound travel from UAE at the moment. Only inbound is currently on hold. If you intend to return back to the UAE after a soft landing, there are 2 things to consider:
1) inbound travel restrictions in place until April 1
2) 14 day self isolation in Canada

Although this new update from IRCC is definitely a huge relief, everybody should keep in mind the statement below.

"Those affected by these exemptions should not try to travel to Canada immediately. We will announce when the exemptions are in place, which we anticipate will be early next week."
 
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HAve you sent a web form to IRCC to register that you have travel issues due to COVID, you should do that as soon as possible so it is in the system. And also keep in mind that airlines are continuously reviewing their schedules so even return flight should you get to Canada can be subject to change/cancellation.
I sent them a webform on March 18 since that was my original date of travel. I informed them that I was unable to board my flight and attached a copy of my ticket along with my wife in addition to our entry visas.
I received a reply from the Abudhabi IRCC on Thursday acknowledging the travel restrictions in place and assuring me that IRCC would be as flexible as possible.
With the expiry date of April 6 fast approaching, I don’t know what to do especially since if I were to leave the UAE, I may not be able to return till they allow residents entry again.
 
I am also a resident of UAE and as per my knowledge, the is no restriction on outbound travel from UAE at the moment. Only inbound is currently on hold. If you intend to return back to the UAE after a soft landing, there are 2 things to consider:
1) inbound travel restrictions in place until April 1
2) 14 day self isolation in Canada

Although this new update from IRCC is definitely a huge relief, everybody should keep in mind the statement below.

"Those affected by these exemptions should not try to travel to Canada immediately. We will announce when the exemptions are in place, which we anticipate will be early next week."

Exactly. Outgoing passengers dont pose any threat. While the incoming are a potential threat.
 
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I am also a resident of UAE and as per my knowledge, the is no restriction on outbound travel from UAE at the moment. Only inbound is currently on hold. If you intend to return back to the UAE after a soft landing, there are 2 things to consider:
1) inbound travel restrictions in place until April 1
2) 14 day self isolation in Canada

Although this new update from IRCC is definitely a huge relief, everybody should keep in mind the statement below.

"Those affected by these exemptions should not try to travel to Canada immediately. We will announce when the exemptions are in place, which we anticipate will be early next week."
Yes I am aware that I can leave the UAE but returning will not be possible till April 1 at least. I will wait till IRCC confirms that approved permanent resident applicants can travel immediately and then decide what to do. I would dearly hope that IRCC extends the COPR as this is causing a lot of stress and as of last week my place of employment also informed me that if I decide to travel at this stage then they will terminate my employment immediately.
 
This is a huge relief! :D

March 20, 2020—Ottawa—The Government of Canada is providing an update on travel restrictions put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Exemptions to the air travel restrictions will apply to foreign nationals who have already committed to working, studying or making Canada their home, and travel by these individuals will be considered essential travel for land border restrictions.

The exemptions include

  • seasonal agricultural workers, fish/seafood workers, caregivers and all other temporary foreign workers
  • international students who held a valid study permit, or had been approved for a study permit, when the travel restrictions took effect on March 18, 2020
  • permanent resident applicants who had been approved for permanent residence before the travel restrictions were announced on March 16, 2020, but who had not yet travelled to Canada
yes Lord ....... This is the best news amidst all these confusion.. Whew!
 
Yes I am aware that I can leave the UAE but returning will not be possible till April 1 at least. I will wait till IRCC confirms that approved permanent resident applicants can travel immediately and then decide what to do. I would dearly hope that IRCC extends the COPR as this is causing a lot of stress and as of last week my place of employment also informed me that if I decide to travel at this stage then they will terminate my employment immediately.
Negotiate with your employer. Offer something to them which they might consider. Maybe working from there for them if it's feasible. Only do this if you are sure then you will be travelling. IRCC is relaxing the travel ban for us and will announce the date when it will be implemented and are not advising to travel immediately. Please plan accordingly.
 
What if I am planning to stay less than 14 days? Can I leave before that?
Yes, you can leave prior to 14 days and help spreading this virus. Eventually they will put the travel ban again. :/

I don't know what you don't understand from the press release, they have mentioned the exempted persons need to self isolate themselves. Its your moral duty at the moment.
 
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they are not upto date at the moment. Check twitter handle of IRCC for updated information. Not sure why you sent it to NDVO. COVID9 related queries for extension are redirected to Canadian Visa office.


This is in response to my web-form request.In mail chain I can see CIC forwarded my web-form request to NDVO and they replied back. Anything you raise through Web-Form gets forwarded to VO you choose while raising request. Maybe they are not upto date as IRCC twitter update time and their response time didn't have much gap.

Anyways, I have tickets booked for 30th March, a day before my CoPR expiry. Looks like if they enable exemptions early next week then I will have to travel in these crazy times and take health risk as web-form request for Visa extension came in with a generic response.

Fingers crossed. x