Canada implements stricter travel, immigration measures in response to Ebola crisis

TORONTO — The Canadian government is imposing a mandatory 21-day self-isolation period for travellers from Ebola-affected regions, while immigration authorities are temporarily suspending decisions on applications from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Uganda.

Luc Brisebois, director-general for the Centre for Border and Travel Health at the Public Health Agency of Canada, announced the measures at a virtual press conference Tuesday.

“The risk to Canadians remains low. This is really out of an abundance of caution,” Brisebois said, given the severity of Ebola disease and the evolving international situation, as well as the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Health Minister Marjorie Michel said the government is taking these actions now, despite the low risk in Canada, because “the risk will be higher” due to summer travels and World Cup games.

“It will take one case. One. Not two. One case. And everybody will say, we didn’t put [border restrictions],” Michel said taking questions from reporters in Ottawa.

The World Health Organization’s director-general said Monday the outbreak was outpacing response efforts, with more than 900 suspected cases and more than 220 deaths in the Congo and Uganda. There is no specific vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo virus at the heart of the spread.

All travellers entering Canada will be assessed by border officials and those who have symptoms will be transferred to hospital for further medical assessment.

The stricter border controls are being implemented under the Quarantine Act starting Saturday until Aug. 29, and those who do not have a place to isolate will be provided with a location.

Canadian officials also said that starting Wednesday, they are pausing final decisions on immigration applications for 90 days, though that could be extended or lifted based on how the outbreak evolves.

This will apply to applications of permanent residence visas, temporary resident visas, electronic travel authorizations, temporary resident permits, study permits, and work permits, said Tara Lang, director-general of integrity policy and programs at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

People from Ebola-stricken countries who have approved temporary or permanent resident visas, or electronic travel authorizations, will not be allowed to travel to Canada during the restricted period.

About 350 people arrive at Canadian airports per week from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, Brisebois said. Approximately 60 per cent of those travellers are Canadians or permanent residents and about 40 per cent are foreign nationals who will not be able to enter Canada because of the temporary visa suspension.

Lang said “it’s definitely not a ban.”

“What it is, is a temporary pause in processing of applications. What this means is that in order to protect the health and safety of Canadians, we want to curb travel from the affected areas,” she said.

This is the first use of Bill C-12, Lang said, which passed in late March and gave the government powers to modify immigration documents en masse when it was deemed by cabinet to be in the public interest.

The new border measures are an escalation from a previous notice issued advising Canadians to avoid travel to Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak was declared, and screening at Canadian airports that involved a questionnaire asking travellers how they were feeling and where they had recently been.

Just days after the outbreak was declared, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suspended the entry of travellers who had been in Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan over the past 21 days, apart from a group of U.S. citizens, nationals and green-card holders.

That’s since been altered to exclude permanent residents of the U.S.

There has never been a case of Ebola disease imported into Canada and there are currently no cases of Ebola disease in North America.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2026.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press