Canada has implemented a 90-day suspension of immigration documents for residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, reinforcing earlier border measures introduced in a May 26 government memo over the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the affected countries.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, in a Tuesday post on its official social media page, restated the directive, saying, “Reminder: we are suspending immigration documents for residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan for 90 days. During this time, we also plan to pause decisions on applications from these countries.
”This is vital to respond to the Ebola outbreak and prevent the disease from spreading to Canada.”
The measure, which was first outlined in the May 26 memo, is part of a broader temporary border restriction framework introduced by the Canadian government in response to rising Ebola risks in the three countries.
Explaining the policy shift, the government said, “In response to the Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and increasing risks in Uganda and South Sudan, the Government of Canada is taking decisive action by introducing temporary border measures to reduce the risk of the virus entering and spreading within Canada.”
