Entering Canada by boat, can we quarantine on board?

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

Not sure how Montanan got mixed up. If you are Canadian, your wife does not have to be Canadian to be exempted from the entry ban.

The govt recently expanded criteria to allow for "extended" family:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration....html#extended

You are all talking about the temporary Covid-19 regulations. I doubt they replace the regular regulations about who is allowed, or not allowed, into Canada. My understanding is that NOBODY, except Canadian Citizens or Landed Immigrants are allowed into the country if they intend to live here or stay more than six months unless they have a work permit or a foreign student visa. A non-Canadian, partner or not, entering with a Canadian is a red flag, and will, in all likelihood, be turned away unless they can somehow prove they will be leaving within six months - in which case they can come in as tourists.

Note that you are not talking about "Re-unification" which the quoted regulation specifically addresses. You are already together - just out of Canada.

As I suggested before, check this out with your nearest Canadian embassy before heading home with your wife and, if you get favourable advice, get it in writing so you can present it to the border officials when you arrive - or apply as prescribed in the aforementioned Covid-19 regulations, well in advance of your departure for here, and see what happens. DON'T take anything for granted!

She may get in under the Covid-19 compassionate family or partner re-unification or visitor regulations - but she may not. It would pay not to be surprised at the border - as a married couple I know were - and they were apart for over a year (her here, him in New Zealand) while they got it sorted out and he got Landed Immigrant status.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by desodave

I'll leave the immigration/quarantine discussion to others but you also need to be aware of first nation closures on parts of the central coast that you intend to travel. These may or may not still be in effect next year, but I suspect that they will be. I've attached a link to the Heiltsuk website;
Mandatory Travel Restrictions – Heiltsuk Nation
and to a CBC story on the issue;
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...d-19-1.5647337

Thanks very much for providing this information - I didn’t even consider it. I have contacted the Heiltsuk Nation’s office and asked whether we could transit through the territory non-stop to get to Bella Coola if the same conditions are still in place next year.

We could just leave the boat in Prince Rupert, but that would double the driving time (maybe more convenient for flights though).

[fxykty]

Let me clear up some of the non-citizen spouse can/cannot enter Canada with their Canadian spouse confusion. Both answers are correct. Regular immigration rules: as a tourist for up to 6 months, yes; as an immigrant, no. We are coming to visit, not live, so citizenship not an issue (except for the Covid-19 thing).

Covid-19 entry is restricted to Canadian citizens and residents. The immediate family of a Canadian citizen or resident, of any other citizenship, can enter together with a Canadian citizen/resident. So we can enter under the current repatriation rules, even as visitors.

No more posts about entry yes/no are needed, thanks.

Regarding the original question, it seems to depend on the CBSA officer. So maybe no need to quarantine based on passage length, or maybe yes. Still no definition of what is a suitable quarantine place, but it seems a boat berthed at a marina may qualify. Luck of the draw it seems.

I didn’t even consider that First Nations had closed their territories, though something similar did take place here with some of the marae and their communities. I have contacted the Heiltsuk Nation’s office and asked whether we could transit through the territory non-stop to get to Bella Coola if the same conditions are still in place next year.

We could just leave the boat in Prince Rupert, but that would double the driving time (maybe more convenient for flights though).

Hopefully this will all be moot. Probably not, though.

[Argyle38]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

Perhaps she was born in Canada but does not have a Canadian passport? She'll have to apply for one to prove Cdn citizenship before you "make the jump"....

Her birthplace is on her American passport. Whenever we cross a land border, she gets a 'welcome home' and I get the stink-eye .

In any case we would certainly contact Canadian CPB and/or immigration long before we would be attempting to enter. We both have NEXUS cards so they certainly know who we are.

As much as I might not like some rules, I try to follow them.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Argyle38

Her birthplace is on her American passport. Whenever we cross a land border, she gets a 'welcome home' and I get the stink-eye .

In any case we would certainly contact Canadian CPB and/or immigration long before we would be attempting to enter. We both have NEXUS cards so they certainly know who we are.

As much as I might not like some rules, I try to follow them.

Birthplace does not indicate citizenship. A CDN passport required under current COVID-19 situation.

Certainly, be sure to contact CBSA to confirm requirements /i before/-i leaving for Canada.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

Birthplace does not indicate citizenship. A CDN passport required under current COVID-19 situation.

Certainly, be sure to contact CBSA to confirm requirements /i before/-i leaving for Canada.

One Canadian citizen is needed for Covid-19 entry; the spouse can be any citizenship. The entry can be for any purpose. If you are deemed essential, you can enter even without a Canadian citizenship or residency. Regardless, once you’re able to enter Canada, them Immigration and Customs rules apply.

For Immigration to grant entry, as tourists citizenship doesn’t matter other than determining whether your citizenship needs a tourist visa in advance or not. If coming back to study, work, or live, then a Canadian citizenship or residence visa of some temporary or permanent sort is required by all persons returning.

After a long phone call this morning, I got the following information. Customs do allow a Canadian citizen who is not a resident to enter Canada on a boat that they own and not import the boat into Canada if they arrive for a visit. If the Canadian citizen arrives to live then duty and taxes are due on all their property, subject to some exemptions.

Regarding birthplace, if the person has no other citizenship then I believe https://www.unhcr.org/un-conventions...elessness.html establishes that a country cannot not remove the birth citizenship of person born in that country. This is one of the issues with some of the foreign ex-ISIL members in custody in the Middle East. But a passport certainly does help to establish citizenship.

[Macblaze]

In response to the original question:

Some internet "friends" of mine just returned from Japan by boat after doing the pacific circle over the last few years. They were allowed to quarantine on their boat tied up in Victoria so...

[DeniseDArteaga]

Many are quarantined on the boat. Some of them want to go home but can't go home.

[Argyle38]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

Birthplace does not indicate citizenship. A CDN passport required under current COVID-19 situation.

Certainly, be sure to contact CBSA to confirm requirements /i before/-i leaving for Canada.

Canada, in general, recognizes citizenship to those born there, unless they were born to foreign diplomats, or unless they have actively revoked their citizenship for some reason.

According to the link below, my wife is 'probably' a Canadian citizen.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...y-citizen.html

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Argyle38

Canada, in general, recognizes citizenship to those born there, unless they were born to foreign diplomats, or unless they have actively revoked their citizenship for some reason.

According to the link below, my wife is 'probably' a Canadian citizen.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...y-citizen.html

"There are a few ways you can become a Canadian citizen without applying to be one. In these cases, you may still want to get proof of citizenship."

Yes indeed, but you may still want to get proof of citizenship. Otherwise you leave up to the CBSA officer at the border to decide.

[hpeer]

I had to do this.

Mom was born in Newfoundland, which became part of Canada.

She lived a loong time in the USA but never got citizenship.

Thus I had to apply for and received proof of my Canadian citizenship. Passport and citizenship card.

Something about its there but you need to take some proactive measure to secure it.

I believe the rules have changed twice since I did it.

[Fluenta]

We know several people who have legally quarantined onboard their boats in Victoria. No problems and in some cases we assisted with food deliveries.

[grube]

Depends on what part of the border. I am not being facetious. There seems to be a policy of letting border guards make the final decision. As well, Americans are allowed in if they fall under certain fairly limited compassionate categories. No one likes this at all. We have an American daughter-in-law with her new daughter. Her mother has been allowed to visit from the US but must quarantine for 2 weeks and then she must return home to her US Govt job. Her crossing was arranged prior but the border guard knew nothing about it and he was the one who made the decision. He said it could have gone either way.
Quarantining in a boat might work but not if you are simply travelling through Canada. Not yet permitted. Ask your President to adopt a reasonable COVID policy (you know, one that supports his own public health folks’ advice), including showing some serious leadership instead of making fun of masks — and maybe some attitudes in Canada and around the world might change. It is not just the huge death toll you have. It is also the attitude. Something is seriously wrong there and most of us outside the US are worried that this intransigence against facts and logic is a sickness worse than COVID itself.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Fluenta

We know several people who have legally quarantined onboard their boats in Victoria. No problems and in some cases we assisted with food deliveries.

We're they Canadian citizens returning? Or visitors?

[Scorpius]

I'm surprised she's not a Canadian citizen if she was born in Canada. My understanding is that the US allows dual citizenship. Did she renounce her Canadian citizenship at some point? If not, perhaps she should just apply for a Canadian passport and see what happens.