[Updated July 19] Starting August 9, Canada will allow fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents to enter Canada. Canadian government statement

Entry Requirements

For U.S. citizens and permanent residents, the conditions for entering Canada are: they must reside in the United States, submit information in ArriveCAN in advance, and provide proof of vaccination. They also need to take a PCR test within 72 hours in advance.

Today (July 16), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada is expected to open to vaccinated U.S. residents for non-essential travel in mid-August.

U.S.-Canada Border Closure

Since March 2020, Canada has imposed entry restrictions barring most non-Canadian citizens and permanent residents from entering Canada for non-essential travel.

At today’s meeting with provincial premiers and territorial leaders, Trudeau said that if the current pace of vaccination continues, Canada could reopen to U.S. citizens and permanent residents for travel around mid-August, while travelers from other countries could enter Canada starting in September.

Because no details have been released yet, it is still unclear whether the mid-August reopening will apply only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, or whether it will also be open to all legal U.S. residents (for example, F1 students or H1B work visa holders).

Return to China via Canada?

Flights from Canada back to China have generally been cheaper than flights from the United States, but because of the Chinese consulates’ policy for approving the green health code, the author believes it is still best to wait and see the position of the Chinese embassy and consulates in Canada before deciding whether to return to China via Canada.

Summary

If you want to travel to Canada, this may be something to start considering. Given the strong spread of the Delta variant, the author recommends continuing to wear a mask while traveling.