Question Period Note: ARRIVECAN

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• In the context of the global pandemic, Canada collects public health information from travelers coming to Canada.

• With increasing traveler volumes, it is important to accelerate the collection and sharing of this information to avoid crowding at Canada’s ports of entry and to support compliance and enforcement activities during traveler quarantine periods in the provinces and territories.

• ArriveCAN is a secure and user-friendly alternative to the paper form to collect this required information and to help travelers comply with Canada’s border measures.

• As of November 21, all incoming travelers to Canada, by air, are required to submit their quarantine plan through either the ArriveCAN mobile application or the accessible online platform before getting on their flight to Canada.

• All travelers, regardless of how they arrive, will also be required to submit information through ArriveCAN or a toll-free number after they have arrived in Canada, such as symptom information and confirming that they have reached their place of quarantine.

• Should travelers not comply with this requirement, they may experience processing delays upon arrival and could face enforcement action, which can range from a verbal warning to $1,000 fine. At this time, travellers will not be denied boarding for failing to comply with the mandatory digital submission requirement.

• To ensure travelers are aware of the new digital requirements, the Government of Canada has developed a comprehensive communications and engagement strategy that focuses on educating and raising awareness of the new digital requirements among travelers, the air industry, and other stakeholders.

In the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has taken measures to close borders and drastically reduce international travel, in addition to many other heightened public safety measures. As Canada looks for opportunities to ease travel restrictions, it is anticipated that, with current requirements for travelers to provide contact details and information on their plans for quarantine, border processing times will be longer unless modern tools in stakeholder data collection and analysis are leveraged.
As a direct result, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have collaboratively developed new digital tools and are positioned to expand their use to enhance Canada’s border posture.
To support the administration and enforcement of the Quarantine Act and Emergency Orders made under it, CBSA and PHAC developed ArriveCAN, an integrated digital solution that enables real-time collection of information at Canadian Ports of Entry (POE) for all incoming travelers. ArriveCAN enables travelers to provide their information digitally as required by law under the Quarantine Act, to support compliance and enforcement, as well as public health measures.
ArriveCAN first launched in April and is available as a mobile app on the Apple App and Google Play stores and by signing in online at Canada.ca/ArriveCAN.
Development of the ArriveCAN app and sign in online platform
In February 2020, Canada began collecting mandatory information from travelers who had been in specific geographical locations in the previous two weeks, such as Hubei province in China, and Italy and Iran as the virus spread. Travelers submitted this information via the Coronavirus Form.
The Coronavirus Form was modified to become the Traveler Contact Information Form to support the first Mandatory Isolation Order in late March. The form was made available digitally via a website in March.
The ArriveCAN app was first developed to digitize the paper Traveler Contact Information Form used at Canadian POEs. Heavy reliance of the paper form leads to a number of inefficiencies, including inaccurate or incomplete submissions and lengthy digitization processing that leads to delays in sharing the information with the provinces and territories. The app and sign in online platform can reduce points of contact at POEs, improve processing times at the border and reduce crowding, and allow for faster sharing of information with provinces and territories.
On April 30, 2020, ArriveCAN Phase I was launched which digitized the mandatory collection of information occurring via the paper form and the website. ArriveCAN Phase I allowed travelers to enter information in advance, but they could only submit at the border upon entering a token. No information was collected from exempt travelers.
On July 20, 2020, the federal government released the full launch of Phase II of the app. The same information is collected in Phase II – the personal contact and travel information, symptom self-assessment, and quarantine plan questionnaire.
A few new functionalities to note:
- Phase II allowed travelers to submit their information 48-hours in advance of their arrival to Canada (previously, travelers could only submit at the border upon entering a token).
- Starting June 30, 2020, CBSA began asking exempt travelers for information. Exempt travelers are encouraged to use ArriveCAN to reduce processing times at the border and to receive important public health information.
- Phase II enabled travelers t to use ArriveCAN to voluntarily check-in to their place of quarantine or isolation, and to provide symptom self-assessment throughout their 14-days of quarantine.
Mandatory Digital Submission: ArriveCAN Phase III
As of November 21, 2020, it is mandatory for air travelers to submit their information digitally in advance (i.e., before boarding an aircraft). Travelers by other modes (e.g. land, marine) will be encouraged to use ArriveCAN but it will not be mandatory to submit information digitally in advance.
Travellers will not be denied boarding for failing to comply with the digital requirements, however, could face enforcement action upon entry ranging from a verbal warning to $1,000 fine.
Once in Canada, it will be mandatory for non-exempt travelers from all modes (air, land, marine) to provide information digitally (through ArriveCAN or the toll--free number). Although exempt travelers will be mandated to provide contact information in advance if travelling by air, they are exempt from post-border reporting as they are exempt from the mandatory isolation order.

SYNOPSIS
ArriveCAN was launched in April 2020 to support the digital submission of information from travelers entering Canada. Travelers can provide required public health information through a mobile application, available for download on the Apple App and Google Play stores or by signing in online at Canada.ca/ArriveCAN. ArriveCAN is designed to increase digital uptake, facilitate data collection and enable early traveler engagement, supporting the Government of Canada’s ability to manage increased traveler volumes, improve public health measures and facilitate information sharing with provinces and territories.
As of November 21, 2020, there are new mandatory requirements for the digital submission of public health information from all incoming travelers upon and after their entry to Canada. Digital submission of public health information is to be done through ArriveCAN with limited exceptions.

IF PRESSED…

• In limited situations, where needed, travelers will be allowed to complete the paper form or provide their information verbally to a Border Services Officer at the port of entry.

• Once in Canada, there will continue to be a toll-free number available to complete the check-in and report on symptoms.

• Exempt travelers must still provide their travel and contact information and symptom self-assessment , however, they will continue to be exempt from the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

• On April 30, 2020, ArriveCAN Phase I was launched, which allowed travelers to enter information in advance, but they could only submit at the border upon entering a token. On July 20, 2020, ArriveCAN Phase II was launched, which removed the token and enabled travelers to submit their information in the 48 hours prior to their arrival in Canada. On November 21, 2020, ArriveCAN Phase III was launched, which allows travellers to submit their information in the 90 days prior to their entry into Canada.