Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has renewed the Ebola-related border measures first imposed in May by extending them another 60 days, to November 27, 2026. Under the order, any foreign national whose **last country of residence** was the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda or South Sudan cannot travel to Canada—even if they already hold an approved visa, work or study permit, or electronic travel authorization. Unlike a full travel ban, the measure allows IRCC officers to keep working on affected files. Applications from the three countries continue to move through background checks and admissibility reviews, but officers may not render a final decision or issue a document that would authorize travel while the suspension is in force. In practical terms, that means candidates can keep uploading documents and responding to procedural requests, yet will remain unable to board a flight until the order is lifted. Ottawa says the rolling extensions are based on advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada as the DRC grapples with a protracted Ebola outbreak that has already spilled over internal borders more than once this year. Uganda and South Sudan remain on the list because of porous frontiers and limited health-surveillance capacity; Canadian officials worry that undetected cases could spread rapidly through regional travel. For employers and post-secondary institutions, the suspension injects more uncertainty into fall and winter onboarding plans. Co-op students and temporary foreign workers from the region who expected to arrive in October or November will now be delayed at least until late November—and potentially longer if IRCC renews the measures again. Human-resources teams are being advised to explore remote-work or deferred-start options, while universities are encouraging affected students to switch to distance learning for the remainder of the term. Applicants caught by the rule should ensure that their contact information in the IRCC portals is current and monitor both IRCC’s notices page and the Government of Canada’s Ebola updates. Once the health risk subsides, any subsequent lifting of the suspension is expected to take immediate effect, allowing travel documents to spring back to validity without further action by the holder.
Source: IRCC.com
