Border restrictions for US students heading to Canada?

I’ve been hesitating whether to start yet another “covid on campus” thread or post under something already out there. I decided for a seperate thread because I have a quite specific question.
In a news feed today, there was an article I can no longer find describing problems faced by the US students attempting to return to Canadian universities. Despite letters of support from the schools, updated many times in reaction to changing regulations, many students were either unable to obtain visas (the process now takes up to 20 weeks, the article said), or turned back from the border as they could not prove their trip was “essential,” especially with the students on campus/online classes scenario.
Please share first-hand experiences and/or reliable media report. Thank you.

This may be the article:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/22/canada-united-states-student-visa-400107

Yes, that’s the one, thank you!
I’m still hoping someone would share their personal experiences.

We live in the northeast of the US. One daughter attends university in Canada and was working over the summer in Canada. I think that if she had only one citizenship then she would have stayed in Canada for fear of not being able to cross the border both ways. She did however come home for a few weeks. She is working remotely and so can do so here just as well as there.

Since she has US citizenship, entering the US was very easy. Traffic at the border crossing was almost non-existent (there was no delay and she did not see any other cars crossing in either direction). If you look at the appropriate US government web page, it states that US citizens and permanent residents are exempted from any restrictions on entering the US. She is subject to state rules about self-quarantining, and we are being very careful.

Going back we think that they have to let her in because she is a Canadian citizen who officially resides in Canada. However, she is going to need to very strictly self-quarantine for two weeks. She has someone arranged to bring her food, leave it by her door, ring the doorbell, and leave. She has a place to self-quarantine (her apartment). We have heard that police might show up at some point during the two week quarantine to make sure that you really are where you claimed you would be, and the fines are substantial if you are not there.

If she did not have Canadian citizenship then I do not think that she would have left Canada this summer for fear of not being able to return.

According to everything that I have heard the rules for self-quarantining in Canada are very strict, with significant penalties for a failure to follow the rules. Of course this is probably the reason that there is so little COVID-19 in eastern Canada.

If you go to the University of Waterloo’s subreddit, you find an account of an international student who re-entered Canada. It was posted August 21. CC won’t allow me to link it.

Note that this student could prove that they lived in Canada. If you don’t have a primary residence or job in Canada or aren’t a Canadian citizen or your university has gone online, you’re likely to be denied entry.

I feel your pain. I was expecting to be child-free this school year. Instead, I’ve currently got all 3 living with me. The youngest starts his classes online tomorrow at 4:30 am. Arrgh.

@bouders Well, my pain is theoretical, our daughter is a rising senior but McGill is close to the top of her list, and I’m not entirely convinced that a year from now we will be in a very different place re. covid, especially if a certain science-loving individual is still leading the nation who-knows-where.

Canada wouldn’t like the MLB players cross the border to play in Toronto. I don’t think they’ll let in a college kid.

And really, should they? It isn’t an emergency. I don’t think the US is letting students in just to study. Europe isn’t.

Actually the UK and the EU are allowing students from third party countries entry to study. They can of course impose testing and/or quarantine restrictions.

This might be helpful:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/students.html#exemptions

Travel exemptions and restrictions for international students
You’re exempt from the travel restrictions and are able to enter Canada if you’re travelling for a non-discretionary or non-optional purpose AND

you’re an international student who has a valid study permit or
you were approved for a study permit on or before March 18, 2020, or
you’re coming from the United States

As long as they have in-person classes and student visas, yes it is.
The only people being banned from entry are those who have been in restricted countries two weeks prior to entry, so that is dependent on origin, not purpose of visit.

I have two kids in Montreal - one at McGill and one at Concordia. We live in Massachusetts. In August, only a handful of students have been turned away at the airport or border. From the US, there was a kid turned back in Toronto but he didn’t have the right documentation. More than anything right now, they simply want to know you have a quarantine plan and how you will get food for the 14 day quarantine.

The downsides is I cannot visit. With both our kids in Montreal, last year we went up for a long weekend every two months. I’m definitely missing Montreal.

And for what it is worth - my kids are having phenomenal experiences at McGill and Concordia. Very high expectations, tough grading, excellent student life. And Montreal is just amazing.

Thank you, @SwimmingDad I’m so glad to have another great endorsement of the place.
McGill would solve so many problems, and then, there’s the Gilead thing, not a small thing for my “gender traitor” D.

S1 is at McGill. No problems going back to MTL from MN, but he is a dual citizen. Just has to do the 2 week quarantine. All 4 of his roommates (none of them CAN) have had any trouble coming back to MTL. Two of them are from the NE USA and stayed in MTL when Covid was raging in NY/NJ.

McGill isn't for everyone, but S1 is thriving. 

@57special

What makes your son thrive at McGill, and what “it isn’t for everyone”?
I’m asking for your personal opinion, obviously.