Canada has announced a number of new border procedures that will go into force at the end of the month.

According to a government press release, starting November 30, Canada will increase the list of COVID-19 vaccines that travelers can obtain to be considered fully vaccinated. Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zeneca, and Johnson & Johnson will be added to the list of permitted producers, which already include Sinopharm, Sinovac, and COVAXIN.

Then, beginning January 15, 2022, certain exempt travelers will only be allowed to enter the country if they have had a complete vaccination with one of the approved vaccinations. The following items appear on this list:

International students aged 18 and older; athletes; work permit holders, except those working in agriculture and food processing; and essential service providers, such as truckers; family members of Canadians, permanent residents, and people registered under the Indian Act.

People who are unvaccinated or inadequately vaccinated will only be able to travel to Canada if they meet an exemption after the new regulations take effect. Agricultural and food processing employees, marine crew members, those entering on compassionate grounds, new permanent residents, resettling refugees, and some youngsters under the age of 18 are among the exempt groups. These travelers will still be subject to testing, quarantine, and other entry restrictions despite the fact that they are not required to be fully vaccinated. Those who have not been vaccinated and do not qualify for an exemption will be denied entry to Canada.

Furthermore, beginning November 30, fully vaccinated Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be able to return to the country without having to do a COVID-19 test if their journey was less than 72 hours. Travelers from Canada who leave the country for more than three days are still required to return with a negative PCR pre-arrival test.

According to the Globe and Mail, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told US lawmakers earlier this week that Canada is considering a three-phased strategy to remove the requirement for travelers to produce a PCR test to border agents. Travelers from the United States are expected to be affected by the following phase. Travelers from all over the world are anticipated to see a reduction in testing requirements.

The United States has lately eased restrictions on Canadians crossing the land border for non-essential purposes. Travelers who were fully vaccinated were not obliged to submit a test upon entering the United States but would be compelled to do so when crossing into Canada.

Experts have been urging the Canadian government to reconsider the costly COVID-19 PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated travelers on short cross-border visits for several weeks. The main argument offered is that these tests are costly, costing between $150 and $300 on average, and might be logistically challenging to administer if the stay is brief. This makes travel between the two countries prohibitively expensive.

On November 17, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce published a statement urging Canada to eliminate the requirement for vaccinated travelers to take a pre-departure PCR test.

“Removing superfluous and obsolete travel requirements will assist Canada’s businesses in getting back to work – and competing,” said Perrin Beatty, president, and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce.