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Being granted exception on not meeting R0 days due to pandemic?

Kalandar

Full Member
Aug 21, 2014
48
5
Hello Friends,

I am stranded in my home country due to pandemic and severe travel restrictions. I am about to reach Canada with 4 days remaining for expiry and 14 days short (out of 730 days) of meeting my RO compliance. I need some inputs on the below points:-

1) Will I be able to enter Canada in the above-mentioned situation and can be granted any exception on Global crises grounds?
2) Has some has faced a similar situation or reported and the process that someone went through and dealt with in the given situation?
3) What should be my plan of action before I reach Canada to answer if I were to get reported?

Would really appreciate your response.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
15,446
7,869
Hello Friends,

I am stranded in my home country due to pandemic and severe travel restrictions. I am about to reach Canada with 4 days remaining for expiry and 14 days short (out of 730 days) of meeting my RO compliance. I need some inputs on the below points:-

1) Will I be able to enter Canada in the above-mentioned situation and can be granted any exception on Global crises grounds?
2) Has some has faced a similar situation or reported and the process that someone went through and dealt with in the given situation?
3) What should be my plan of action before I reach Canada to answer if I were to get reported?

Would really appreciate your response.
1. Yes, you'll be allowed to enter. No-one can say for sure but given circumstances, a better-than-even chance you will not be reported. If reported, you'll still be allowed to enter and you can appeal. Deal with that when the time comes.
2. Yes. Other threads here. Again, deal with it after it happens, no sense making elaborate plans now. What you would do is appeal.
3. You don't need a plan of action for what happens if you are reported. What you can do to prepare is collect your info on dates in Canada etc., your chronology of absences and what explanations there are, and have some basic documentation on the reasons you were delayed / efforts you made to get back. And think through simple honest answers about why you didn't return earlier (travel restrictions, hope to get vaccinated, whatever reasons you didn't return earlier). Answers should be simple, factual and brief. (By which I mean: short factual simple answers are generally more credible than long elaborate ones - eg "My mother was in hospital." (with what) "Heart surgery." It will also likely help to emphasize you are returning to reside (there may be questions along this line as well).

Mentally I think you should prepare for the possibility (even likelihood) that questions will be relatively short and simple ("I was delayed by all this covid stuff and organising PCR tests") and you'll get waved through without too much difficulty - i.e. what you do after. They may also ask about or pay more attention to your isolation plans etc.
 

Kalandar

Full Member
Aug 21, 2014
48
5
Thanks a lot for your crisp, clear, and to-the-point response to my question, This really makes sense as I am anyway in lots of stress in flying back to Canada via a third country due to flight ban amidst Pandemic and reach Canada before my PR expires to ensure that I don't lose my PR status,

NOT SURE what the conditions would be as I learned that the officials have mentioned that they don't provide any exceptions in such cases due to pandemic, which is adding extra stress on me. But the clarifications you gave have both CLARITY and HOPE for me to travel back there, Thanks a lot again
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
15,446
7,869
Thanks a lot for your crisp, clear, and to-the-point response to my question, This really makes sense as I am anyway in lots of stress in flying back to Canada via a third country due to flight ban amidst Pandemic and reach Canada before my PR expires to ensure that I don't lose my PR status,

NOT SURE what the conditions would be as I learned that the officials have mentioned that they don't provide any exceptions in such cases due to pandemic, which is adding extra stress on me. But the clarifications you gave have both CLARITY and HOPE for me to travel back there, Thanks a lot again
There are no exceptions to the existing policy because the existing policy ALREADY provides for leniency where circumstances have prevented a PR from complying and other reasons (call this the h and c policy if you wish).

This does not mean that covid etc will not be a reason for leniency, but rather that the policy is already flexible enough to deal with covid-related non compliance and decisions should be made on a case by case basis.
 

Kalandar

Full Member
Aug 21, 2014
48
5
There are no exceptions to the existing policy because the existing policy ALREADY provides for leniency where circumstances have prevented a PR from complying and other reasons (call this the h and c policy if you wish).

This does not mean that covid etc will not be a reason for leniency, but rather that the policy is already flexible enough to deal with covid-related non-compliance and decisions should be made on a case by case basis.
So here I understand that there is a better-than-even chance I won't be reported. However, if I do get reported I can appeal under H&C ground and present an authentic but solid case to the officials based in the current situation, with proper supporting documents.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
15,446
7,869
So here I understand that there is a better-than-even chance I won't be reported. However, if I do get reported I can appeal under H&C ground and present an authentic but solid case to the officials based in the current situation, with proper supporting documents.
Yes.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
15,446
7,869
Great! Is the case presented separately later or is the done at the time of arrival in Canada. Not sure how it will go and what kind of documents I shall be ready with.
Examination on arrival will be mostly oral, you could show documents but may not be asked for them. More informal overall. Given the short non compliance it may only be a few questions.

Appeal is more formal of course and you can present whatever supports your case.
 

Kalandar

Full Member
Aug 21, 2014
48
5
Examination on arrival will be mostly oral, you could show documents but may not be asked for them. More informal overall. Given the short non compliance it may only be a few questions.

Appeal is more formal of course and you can present whatever supports your case.
Thanks a lot, hope the officials are considerate and understanding in this regards, I had done by tickets with a layover via the UK assuming that the flight ban will be lifted by June 21, but I heard they are extending the ban by a month, so I don't think I can still take that route and will need to consider travelling by a third country to reach Canada and waiting for the govt announcements with a hope of some leniency for full vaccinated PR's in the upcoming phase on June 21.

What are your thoughts on travelling by the third country, which is a better route if in case you are familiar with this?
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
15,446
7,869
Thanks a lot, hope the officials are considerate and understanding in this regards, I had done by tickets with a layover via the UK assuming that the flight ban will be lifted by June 21, but I heard they are extending the ban by a month, so I don't think I can still take that route and will need to consider travelling by a third country to reach Canada and waiting for the govt announcements with a hope of some leniency for full vaccinated PR's in the upcoming phase on June 21.

What are your thoughts on travelling by the third country, which is a better route if in case you are familiar with this?
No idea which routes are best.
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,969
12,768
When are you questioned about your Residence Obligtions? Only when you reach the 5 years or every time you enter the country after getting your PR?
You can be asked everytime you enter Canada but in the first 5 years you would be out of compliance once you hit the 3 year mark out of Canada.