Some international students inhibited by travel complications as Fall semester approaches
Heading back to school can be an exciting time for many students, but changes in travel restrictions due to COVID-19 may mean missing the start of class for some international students.
McGill student Shachin Dev, who is from India, has worked remotely on his PhD in medical physics since January, but says the nine and a half hour time difference is proving challenging.
“I was supposed to do experiments which I am totally missing. We are right now focusing on things we can do remotely,” he said. “In that way it's a kind of loss to my studies — if I had been there things would be better.
Dev wanted to start this semester in Montreal, but Canada again extended the ban on direct flights from India until Sept. 21, forcing Dev to re-book again.
Dev is now in Serbia, a country that has a visa on arrival for Indian nationals. Though fully vaccinated, he's quarantining before boarding a flight to Montreal via Frankfurt.
Frustrated with the ever changing rules, Dev hopes Canada relaxes measures for students.
“Canada is allowing US citizens [in] for non-essential [reasons],” he said, adding that double-vaccinated students from India are prohibited from entering even when it’s for “essential purposes.”
Canada imposed the ban on India because of the Delta variant that was ravaging that country last spring.
But experts say the focus should be on who is coming in: those who are fully vaccinated and test negative.
“If you wanted to reduce the chances or speed by which that variant is imported to Canada, then a direct ban when there was no or little Delta in Canada might have made sense,” said infectious diseases expert Dr. Matthew Oughton, “but that horse has left the barn, and to continue that ban now doesn't make a lot of sense.”
The federal government told CTV the ban on direct flights allows travellers to be tested for COVID once they've left a high risk country, reducing the risk of contracting the virus between receiving the test and boarding a flight to Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.