The Canada-US Border Is Opening For Immediate Family & Here Are The Rules
It's reunion time! The Canada-U.S. border opening is for immediate family only and there are rules. For example, any family member who wants to come into the country has to stay here for 15 days at least, and that's not all.
As of June 8 at 11:59 p.m. ET, people who are immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents are allowed to cross the border from America.
Canada Border Services Agency has released guidelines about exactly who can cross over and what they need to do when they get here.
Along with being an immediate family member, people need to show no COVID-19 symptoms or have no reason to believe they have the virus.
People also need to be coming into the country from the U.S. for the sole purpose of being with a family member.
That visit has to last for at least 15 days.
All foreign nationals who come as part of this exemption have to quarantine for 14 days.
An immediate family member is a spouse or common-law partner, a dependent child (and their dependent child, when applicable), a parent or step-parent, a parent or step-parent of a person's spouse or common-law partner and a guardian or tutor.
Justin Trudeau announced the partial reopening of the border on June 8.
"This is an incredibly difficult time to be apart from a spouse, a child, or mom and dad," he said.
However, the new cross-border travel allowance doesn't apply to the immediate families of temporary residents in Canada like people here on student or work visas.
When the Canada-U.S. border was still closed to all non-essential travel, some still found ways to meet up with family.
One couple told Narcity that they would meet up at the border for dates while they both stayed in their respective countries.
People have also been spending time together at Peace Arch Park, which extends from B.C. to Washington, since they can roam free between the two countries within it.