U.S. President Donald Trump’s Executive Order has caused confusion and anxiety for travellers across the globe. With so much conflicting information, it’s difficult to understand how the immigration ban affects you. We’ll help explain the impact of the US travel ban on Canadians and Visitors to Canada currently affected by the ban.
Latest on the Executive Order – June 29th, 2017:
After months of challenges and appeals, the travel ban was partially reinstated by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 26th, 2017 which will come into effect on Thursday, June 29th, 2017 at 8 p.m. EDT. Here are some of the key aspects that might impact Canadian travellers:
- The executive order imposes a temporary 90-day ban for citizens with passports from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from getting U.S. visas unless they have established a bona-fide relationship to a U.S. entity. Click here to understand the new criteria for visa applicants from these six countries. According to the U.S. State Department, visas that have already been issued will not be revoked.
- The decision to allow entry into the U.S. is made on a case to case basis at the discretion of a U.S. CBP officer at a port of entry. The State Department mentioned that some exceptions to the order might be made for people travelling for business or some travellers in need of urgent medical care.
- The order also imposes a 120-day ban on entry to the United States by refugees.
We’ll continue monitoring the situation and share the latest updates on this page. If you have any questions, share them in the comments below or contact TuGo’s Customer Service toll-free at 1-855-929-8846.
Travel across the US border for Canadians: What to expect?
The Government of Canada has clarified that the US entry requirements for Canadians travelling with valid Canadian passports don’t change as a result of the new Executive Order. This includes:
- Canadian citizens and passport holders
- Dual citizens who have citizenship from Canada and from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen. (Provided they present valid Canadian passports)
Canadian permanent residents who hold a passport from one of these six countries and have a valid US visa may be granted entry at the discretion of the immigration officer.
Is it safe to travel to US?
While there could be protests across the US, it’s still safe for Canadians to travel there. Canadians travelling across the border and to major U.S. airports can expect delays, due to the possibility of additional screening measures. Travel prepared by carrying all valid travel documents (this includes contact details of any family members in the United States) and a back-up plan in case you’re denied entry.
How TuGo is helping Canadians & Visitors to Canada affected by the ban
The ‘travel ban’ isn’t a covered risk under TuGo’s Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption plan; however, TuGo’s Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption may provide coverage under the non-issuance of a travel visa covered risk for policies purchased before June 26, 2017. Coverage will only be considered if departure/stopover into the US was scheduled to occur within the 90 days the ban is in effect.
This includes coverage for Visitors to Canada, Canadian permanent residents and/or Canadian residents with work or study permits, who have:
- passports from these countries and have applied for their US travel or student Visa prior to June 26, 2017, and
- booked trips to the USA, or
- stopover flights in the USA that have to be changed or cancelled
Here’s an example to demonstrate how your TuGo® policy may cover you:
- Hiba is a visitor in Canada from Sudan who was planning to travel to the US in July. She bought a TuGo Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption policy on June 10, to cover a flight from Vancouver to Las Vegas on July 10, 2017. She also applied for a US Visa on June 12, 2017, but her Visa was still not issued by June 29, 2017. TuGo will provide coverage under the non-issuance of a travel Visa covered risk.
If you’re a TuGo customer affected by the Executive Order, we recommend that you contact your airline/travel supplier first to check if they’re allowing refunds or waiving cancellation fees before contacting Claims at TuGo to open a claim.
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