On December 15, 2021, the Government of Canada revised its travel guidelines for Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel. Further, as cases of the new Omicron variant continue to grow, other countries and regions are also changing their travel guidelines.
In general, all non-essential outbound travel should be limited or delayed wherever possible to promote the safety of our community and to contain travel cancellation costs as advisories remain in place.
The following applies to all members of the York community during in the Winter 2022 Term and further details will be available shortly in the FAQs on the Better Together website:
International programs
Given the recent global COVID-19 travel advisory, the University has cancelled and/or postponed all international travel for University-sponsored or sanctioned international programs for Winter 2022. This applies to the following:
- Academic exchange, faculty-led programs, internships, research placements, community-engaged learning, practicums, co-op placements, or any other international travel that is approved by a York University faculty member, department, staff member, Faculty, or non-academic unit. *This is subject to narrow exceptions outlined below.
Special authorization for specific international programs and students will be granted on a case-by-case basis. If you are scheduled to participate in an international program for Winter 2022, please get in touch with your Faculty international program coordinator or with York International at: goglobal@yorku.ca. This authorization will be granted based on the health and safety guidance of the host country/institution and with strict adherence to health and safety plans that are agreed upon by students, academic unit(s), Risk Management and York International. Such cases may include:
- Students who are already in their home countries, who have access to health care and insurance that is available for citizens/nationals of those locations or students with dual citizenship status.
- Students who have special circumstances or are participating in undergraduate/graduate programs where in-person participation is necessary for degree or program completion.
International travel for faculty, researchers, instructors
The University strongly advises all members of the community to avoid all non-essential travel, in alignment with the Government of Canada's travel advice and advisories, until further notice.
International travel for graduate students (research related)
The University strongly advises all graduate students to avoid all non-essential travel and to explore the use of online technologies for research related activities with international collaborators. In exceptional situations, research related international travel, related activities for graduate students and travel related to the completion of academic programs may be considered by relevant offices on a case-by-case basis. This will be reviewed again when Global Affairs Canada travel advisories are lifted.
University-funded business travel
All international university business travel is cancelled and/or postponed until further notice. Questions related to safety abroad can be submitted to: safetyabroad@yorku.ca.
Travelling to York from outside of Canada
The Government of Canada has changed quarantine and testing requirements. As of September 7, 2021 all travellers arriving in Canada who are fully vaccinated with a Health Canada approved vaccine may be exempt from quarantine requirements. Regardless of vaccination status, upon arrival each traveler must show a viable quarantine plan to a border services officer.
All international travelers arriving in Canada will also be required to take a COVID-19 test upon entry into the country. Travelers vaccinated with one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines for travel/entry will need to self-isolate until they receive a negative test result. Testing and self-isolation will take place at the traveler’s port of entry. York students and faculty may use York’s Quarantine Program for self-isolation if they do not have a suitable place to self-isolate or live in an on-campus residence.
York University runs an off-campus quarantine program for all international arrivals destined for York. For more information on this, please visit York International’s Quarantine Information page.
As always, we will continue to monitor the situation regularly and provide updates should circumstances change. York International will also be available to provide support to assess and develop risk mitigation plans for authorized international travel. For more information, please contact York International at: goglobal@yorku.ca or safetyabroad@yorku.ca and please continue visiting the Better Together website for regular updates.
Sincerely,
Lisa Philipps
Provost & Vice-President Academic
Amir Asif
Vice-President, Research & Innovation