If you’re a Canadian who hoped to drive to Florida this winter, you better have your proof of vaccination. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security quietly issued a statement on Thursday that, starting today (Jan. 22, 2022), it will require non-U.S. individuals seeking to enter the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination. These new restrictions will apply to non-U.S. individuals who are traveling for both essential and non-essential reasons. They will not apply to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, or U.S. nationals. The U.S. requires proof of a negative COVID test taken within a day Read more
U.S. border
A published report says senior U.S. politicians last week urged President Joe Biden to keep the border open to fully vaccinated Canadians. The joint, bipartisan letter to Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has sparked speculation about whether Canada or the U.S. have plans to shutter the border again, said the Niagara Independent. “Maintaining an open border to vaccinated travelers has been essential to the functioning economy of New York State and to the wellbeing of New York families,” read the letter, penned by U.S. senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Western New York congressmen Brian Higgins and Chris Jacobs. Read more
Cross border travel between Canada and the U.S. is growing, and experts see a strong recovery on the horizon. BrandUSA, which seeks to boost travel to the United States, sponsored a virtual tourism/travel session earlier today with border, tourism and airline officials. Tim Liu, Managing Director, Sales Planning & Effectiveness at Air Canada, said things are looking much better these days. “We are definitely seeing strong signs of growth and we expect to return to a more normal Canada-USA air travel market,” he said. “We definitely see that recovery under way.” “We expect it to be fast-paced recovery and expect Read more
There are reports today that the Canadian-U.S. border will remain closed for another month. Meanwhile, Hawaii has extended its quarantine requirement for incoming visitors from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1. Also, Canadians appear to be having trouble getting good travel insurance. My Future of Travel blog for July 14. U.S. Border Not Opening Soon Canadians have made it pretty clear they don’t want any part of an open border with a virus-ravaged United States. The Prime Minister appears to agree. The Globe and Mail today reports that sources indicate the border will remain closed to all but essential travel until Read more
We Canadians can be docile at times. But we don’t like getting pushed around by Uncle Sam, or any other country. Which is why it’s a very bad idea for a group of U.S. Congress members to be sending “please open your border” notes to the Canadian government. Global News has this report: A bipartisan group of 29 federal lawmakers led by New York representatives Brian Higgins and Elise Stefanik sent a letter to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf late last week, urging both countries to “immediately craft a comprehensive framework for phased reopening Read more
