DigitalGhost

But how do you prove that? If you have a plane flying in from Punta Cana for example, chances are on any given day that the majority of passengers will be returning holiday makers but among them will be temporary workers or people who had to fly in either direction for a family emergency.

But to be fair, if the federal government had made more of an effort to financially support the likes of Sunwing and Transat through this winter then those companies could have taken the season off and not felt they needed to push Caribbean vacations as a means to keep their heads above water.

scrubbedexpat099

It would seem fairly easy to wing it, say for example you have a place in the sun you also rent out when you are not there, business or pleasure?

DigitalGhost

Exactly. At a very minimum, I think new immigrants and refugees should be exempt.

Siouxie

Hopefully what it says on the website is true, that it will be restricted to 'non essential travel' Fingers crossed!
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-heal...ravellers.html

DigitalGhost

It would be nice and it seems like the right thing to do. It's just a question of how they police that. Will it be left up to the discretion of the officer who examines each arriving passenger at the border?

It is of course also possible they could direct everyone to the 3 night quarantine hotel but then only people deemed to have embarked on non-essential travel will be invoiced for the cost. Ontario does have hotels that are currently being used by the government to host people who haven't travelled abroad but need a safe place to isolate away from house mates and family members and those offer free room and board at no charge.

scrubbedexpat099

Presumably you will be asked if your trip was essential or non essential by Immigration

DigitalGhost

Who is possibly going to answer no to that question? Some people will consider acquiring a tan to be an essential journey.

Revin Kevin

"Vitamin D (sunshine) is an excellent defence for covid so my trip WAS essential officer"

scrubbedexpat099

What else can they do but ask?

bats

check your emails? Ask for hotel receipts? They're pretty good at asking the right questions.

scrubbedexpat099

Well not sure what Hotel Receipts would prove, can they check citizens emails etc?

I have not entered Canada, but elsewhere yes you get a few people per flight taken aside for a grilling, but they would need to do pretty much everybody.

Siouxie

Question.. have you entered Canada since Covid started (or at all at any time, for that matter)?

Since Covid started there's an app you have to use before you even get here. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-heal...arrivecan.html It won't be difficult to determine where you have come from.

If you are validating a work permit/study permit or a Confirmation of Permanent Residence, have a 'Consent to Travel' letter or a 'Letter of Introduction' (for a work permit etc), your PR status will expire soon - or you are using a PR Travel Document to enter, etc.. it would be clear that you are entering Canada due to 'essential' travel. You could also show proof of attending a sick relative / a funeral etc., pretty easily.

Yes, they can go through your phone, your emails, any documents you have with you, your computer / laptop / ipad, check your social media - call a friend or relative - or anything else they deem necessary. Lie at your peril!
Confirmation documents / receipt for stay from a hotel in the Domincan Republic or Cuba or Mexico, would be indicative that you have been on a jolly.. as might a good tan.

DigitalGhost

They can but I just can't see them doing that for every single passenger. I think normally those measures are there to catch smugglers and people intending to work illegally etc. Obviously those sorts of passengers are few and far between and even then they don't catch all of them.

If someone refuses to grant access to an electronic device then they need to send it away to a computer forensics lab and then the question is what would happen to that person in the meantime?

ChrisBan

sorry, yes I travelled yesterday. Aside from the disaster that is the mandatory testing at Pearson in T1 , it was all straight forward.

DigitalGhost

How did you find that? Tbh if you have the time and can be bothered then I'm sure quite a few people on here might appreciate a blog-sort of post about your experience, either in this thread or a new one.

Weird that you did it at T1. Whenever I've flown into Pearson, I've always ended up landing at T3.