Canadian Expats

Here is what i recieved from ROCA today.

Dear Canadian,

You are receiving this email because you have registered with the Government of Canada's Registration of Canadians Abroad (ROCA).

The National Federation of Workers in Postal and Similar Companies announced a nationwide strike against the Brazilian local postal service (Correios). As such, delivery of correspondence may take longer than usual.

Due to this circumstance, the Consular section will be communicating with affected clients so that they may choose the most suitable option for them.

Please note that in cases where there is no urgency, documentation can be kept at the Consulate and can be sent once Correios resumes its full operations. In cases of imminent travel or other urgencies, an appointment can be made to pick-up documentation in person at the Consulate. Due to COVID restrictions, appointments will only be made on an emergency basis.

I am currently living in Rio de janiero

"The National Federation of Workers in Postal and Similar Companies announced a nationwide strike against the Brazilian local postal service (Correios). As such, delivery of correspondence may take longer than usual."

Did they mention a particular reason for the strike against the Correios?

No they did not. But my wife says its about conditions and privatizing the service.  Many want the service privatized, but from what ive seen in the canadian service, privatizing the service is a really bad idea.  I got the inside scoop on canada post because my whole family worked there from sorters to upper managament.  The service should remain in governmemt hands in my opinion.

If you can figure out Correios in CA, I bow to the master! Living here for years, I do not understand the system.
Many banks/cell companies went to "green" because many bills were arriving after the "due dates".
In the past in order to get a bank, cell, or other accounts (including PF and notaries) you were required to have an original utility bill with your name and address. Presently bills come via email and attach the conta. Hopefully, originals are not required. (Have not had to open a new account in awhile).
Yes there are talks or privatization, but it would be a large task!

Tex,

We just print out the PDFs of the boletos when we need proof of address.   Haven't been turned down yet.

Thanks. I would hope so.

In CA you can get hard copies if you ask but costs an extra $2 CAD per copy from utilities per billing. Rogers cable and cell perfected the art of blind thievery.🤪

NEW UPDATE FROM CANADIAN CONSULAR SERVICES IN BRASIL:


This message is to inform you that due to currency exchange rate changes consular fees for services paid for in Brazilian currency will change effective September 15, 2020.

Please see below the main consular fees. For other consular services, please do not hesitate to contact us.


10-year passport for applicants 16 years or over = R$1090,00 or CAD$260.00

5-year validity passport (or less) for applicants 16 years or over = R$795,00 or CAD$190.00

Children’s passport = R$420,00 or CAD$100.00

Application for Canadian citizenship certificate = R$315,00 or CAD$75.00

Notarial services = R$210,00 or CAD$50.00


If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your nearest Diplomatic mission.

HELP FOR CANADIANS OUTSIDE CANADA
In case of emergency, call the closest Government of Canada office (https://travel.gc.ca/assistance/embassies-consulates) serving your location. If the office is closed, your call will be transferred to the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa. The centre operates 24/7 and may be reached directly at +1 613 996 8885 (call collect where available) or sos@international.gc.ca.

ANOTHER UPDATE FOR CANUCKS

Returning to Canada?

Effective November 21, 2020, travellers to Canada will be required to submit arrival information digitally. This is a significant step in stopping the spread of COVID-19 by sharing traveller information quickly and securely.

Pre-arrival to Canada:
- As of November 21, 2020, air travellers whose final destination is Canada will be required to submit their information electronically through ArriveCAN before they board their flight. This includes travel and contact information, quarantine plan (unless exempted under conditions set out in the Mandatory Isolation Order)( https://orders-in-council.canada.ca/att … mp;lang=en), and COVID-19 symptom self-assessment.
- Travellers must be ready to show their ArriveCAN receipt when seeking entry into Canada; a border services officer will verify that they have submitted their information digitally.
- Travellers who do not submit the required information digitally before boarding their flight could be subject to enforcement action, which can range from verbal warnings to $1,000 fine.
- Exceptions will be made for those unable to submit documents electronically due to personal circumstances, such as disability or inadequate infrastructure.

Post-entry to Canada:
- As of November 21, 2020, travellers who enter Canada by air, land or marine modes, unless exempted under conditions set out in the Mandatory Isolation Order, will also be required to submit information through ArriveCAN or by calling the 1-833-641-0343 toll-free number during their quarantine or isolation period. Within 48 hours of entering Canada, travellers must confirm they have arrived at their place of quarantine or isolation and those in quarantine must complete a daily COVID-19 symptom self-assessment during their quarantine period.
- Travellers who don’t use ArriveCAN to submit their information before entering Canada will be required to call the 1-833-641-0343 toll-free number on a daily basis throughout their quarantine or isolation period to provide their post-border information. They will not be able to revert to using ArriveCAN.
- Travellers who do not submit the mandatory information required after they have crossed the border will be considered a high priority for follow-up by law enforcement.

The ArriveCAN app is available for download on:
•Google Play ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta … oronavirus ) for Android.
•App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/canarrive … 94667?mt=8) for iOS.

Travellers can also submit their information by signing in online (https://arrivecan.cbsa-asfc.cloud-nuage … ca/privacy).

For additional information, please consult the following page: Canada.ca/ArriveCAN (https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/ … vecan.html)


Help for Canadians outside Canada

In case of emergency, call the closest Government of Canada office (https://travel.gc.ca/assistance/embassies-consulates). If the office is closed, your call will be transferred to the 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa. Call direct at +1 613 996 8885 (call collect where available) or sos@international.gc.ca.


Registration of Canadians abroad

We strongly recommend you keep your registration up to date at https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/registration. Ensure that passport numbers, contact details and an address are included in your registration. If you have already returned, please update your profile. You may access your profile at https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/registration or send an email to roca@international.gc.ca with your date of departure.

Global Affairs Canada

Just got this today from Canaidian Gov.

Dear Canadians,

You are receiving this email because you have registered with the Government of Canada's Registration of Canadians Abroad (ROCA).

If you have left Brazil and have no intention to return there in the near future, please send an email to our Registration of Canadians Abroad email address at roca@international.gc.ca to end the registration of this trip in our system.

The Government of Canada has been advising Canadian citizens abroad wishing to return to Canada to do so sooner rather than later, and while commercial flights are still available. Currently, there are no plans in place for rescue or repatriation flights to Canada.

Please note that effective December 30, 2020 all passengers wishing to enter Brazil must:

i) show a laboratory negative test result of a RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 test taken 72 hours prior to their flight. Airline companies have been instructed to verify the test results.

ii) A duly filled out Travellers' Health Declaration (Declaração do Saúde do Viajante (DSV)) (printed or digital) whereby the traveller agrees to abide by all safety measures during the period of stay in Brazil.

For those remaining in Brazil, please visit this website https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health- … 9-security for useful tips, and continue to follow our ROCA messages, we will continue to update you should there be any new developments.

You can also follow us on social media:
• Facebook : Canada in Brazil ; Canada au Brésil ; Canada no Brasil
• Twitter: @CanadaBrazil ; @CanadaBresil ; @CanadanoBrasil
• Instagram: @CanadaBRA

Please share this important information with other Canadian citizens in your area.

Consular team of the Government of Canada in Brazil

Canadian government is no requiring all those entering Canada now must produce a negative Covid-19 test.

Another update from ROCA

Dear Canadian citizen,

You are receiving this email because you are registered with the Government of Canada’s Registration of Canadians Abroad service.

Flight suspensions:

The Government of Canada and Canada’s major airlines have reached an agreement to suspend all flights to and from Mexico and Caribbean countries until April 30, 2021. This will be in effect as of January 31, 2021.

For more information or to change your flight, please contact your airline or your tour operator.

Flight restrictions:

Effective midnight (11:59 PM) February 3rd, 2021, all international commercial passenger flights as well as all private/ business and charter flights from all countries will land at one of the four following Canadian airports: Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Calgary International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport. Flights from Saint-Pierre–et-Miquelon and cargo-only flights will remain exempt.

Contact your airline or tour operator if your travel itinerary is impacted by this new measure.

Testing and Quarantine upon arrival in Canada:

As soon as possible in the coming weeks, all non-exempted air travelers arriving in Canada must reserve a room in a Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)-approved hotel for three nights at their own cost.

Travelers will also have to take a COVID-19 molecular test on arrival at their own cost.

Note that the mandatory requirement for a pre-departure COVID-19 testing and negative results for all non-exempted air travelers coming to Canada is still in effect. See the Flying to and within Canada (https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/trave … alth-check) page for more information on this requirement.

Testing requirements at land borders:

Similar to the pre-departure testing requirements for travellers flying into Canada, the Government of Canada will introduce a 72-hour pre-arrival testing requirement (molecular test) for travellers seeking entry in land mode, with limited exceptions such as commercial truckers.

Useful links:

We encourage you to visit the following webpages regularly for more information on the new measures to prevent further introduction and transmission of COVID-19 and new variants of the virus into Canada:

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Travel restrictions, exemptions and advice: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/ … dvice.html
• Backgrounder – Transport Canada Expansion of international flight restrictions: https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-cana … ports.html
• Backgrounder – New testing and quarantine measures for non-essential international air travel: https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-cana … ravel.html

Help for Canadians outside Canada:

In case of emergency, call the closest Government of Canada office (https://travel.gc.ca/assistance/embassies-consulates). If the office is closed, your call will be transferred to the 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa. Call direct at +1 613 996 8885 (call collect where available) or sos@international.gc.ca.

Hi,

I'm wondering what other Canadians think about the mandatory hotel quarantine.

It seems to me that our government is saying it doesn't trust us to quarantine at home and so is keeping us in detention, at an inflated cost to us, for 3 days.

I thought that we were pressumed innocent until proven guilty.

I have no problem with requiring testing before and after landing (over kill, but whatever), but as of this morning, there isn't even information about where/how to do the hotel quarantine.

????????????

Thanks for the update

There is something nefarious about the entire covid 19 saga ....but this is not the proper place to get into it ....

All I know is what ROCA sends me and what I see on the news.  I know not all will register to ROCA so I am just passing on what I recieve. I strongly urge that those who have not registered do so..  If something happens then your family in Canada can be contacted. 

JAH GUIDE and PROTECT.

Thank you for passing on this info.

I can only think that the strategy is to deter/ punish people from traveling. Instead of banning flights which hurts the airlines, they are boosting the hotels.
I don’t know if the strategy is somehow a political solution rather than an intelligent solution.

Update on direct flights from GRU to Toronto Canada

Air Canada has announced that it is suspending non-stop service between Sao Paulo (GRU Airport) and Toronto (YYZ) as of February 18, 2021 until the end of April 2021. It is important to note that this period may be extended.

The last available flights are:
- Wednesday Feb 10th – departure from GRU at 22h45
- Friday Feb 12th – departure from GRU at 22h45
- Sunday Feb 14th – departure from GRU at 22h45
- Wednesday Feb 17th – departure from GRU at 22h45

The Consular Team is recommending that Canadian citizens wishing to return to Canada to do so sooner rather than later. There are still several available seats on the remaining flights.

Currently, there are no plans in place for rescue or repatriation flights to Canada.

Note that proof of a negative COVID-19 laboratory test result must be presented to the airline prior to boarding a flight to Canada. The test must be conducted within 72 hours of the traveller’s scheduled time of departure to Canada. For important information on requirements and restrictions for travel to Canada, visit website https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/trave … /isolation .

For those remaining in Brazil, please visit this website https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health- … 9-security for useful tips, and continue to follow our ROCA messages, we will continue to update you should there be any new developments.

You can also follow us on social media:
• Facebook : Canada in Brazil ; Canada au Brésil ; Canada no Brasil
• Twitter: @CanadaBrazil ; @CanadaBresil ; @CanadanoBrasil
• Instagram: @CanadaBRA

Please share this important information with other Canadian citizens in your area.

Consular team of the Government of Canada in Brazil

Hi

Yesterday it was -31C in my hometown (Hazelton BC) , so being "stranded" in Brazil is not a great hardship for me.   :-)

I rebooked my flight to Canada May 5 and the Air Canada agent assisting me was very pleasant and helpful.

Flights are scheduled to resume May 2. Hopefully by then we'll have a better idea about mandatory hotel quarantines and all that.

After 90 days of no flights to Canada,  there could be a big demand for seats, so it might be a good idea to book your return flight sooner than later

Just read this in the news today. 

For travellers arriving to Canada by air

As of February 22, 2021, all air travellers, with some exceptions, will be required to take a COVID-19 molecular test when they arrive in Canada before exiting the airport, and another toward the end of their 14-day quarantine period. With limited exceptions, air travellers, will also be required to reserve prior to departure to Canada, a 3-night stay in a government-authorized hotel. Travellers will be required to stay at their reserved hotel for up to 3 nights, at their own cost, while they await the results of their arrival test.

Hotel booking information will be available online as of February 18, 2021. Travellers will need to book a hotel in the city in which they first arrive in Canada. If they receive a negative result on their arrival test, they will be able to take a connecting flight to their final destination. There will be a number of hotels to choose from near each of the four international airports accepting international flights, in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. Costs of these hotel stays may vary slightly at each location. It is up to the traveller to choose where they wish to stay and book in advance of departure. The price will include costs associated with the room, food, cleaning, infection prevention and control measures, and security as well as transportation.

These new measures are in addition to existing mandatory pre-boarding and health requirements for air travellers.

Finally, at the same time on February 22, 2021, all travellers, whether arriving by land or air will be required to submit their travel and contact information, including a suitable quarantine plan, electronically via ArriveCAN before crossing the border or boarding a flight. All travellers arriving to Canada must also continue to submit COVID-related information electronically daily throughout the quarantine period. For a quarantine location to be deemed suitable, travellers cannot stay with at-risk subpopulations including people who work in hospitals or long-term care facilities, adults over the age of 65, or those who are immunocompromised or at risk for more severe disease outcomes. In addition, travellers must avoid all contact with other in their household with whom they did not travel.

Stay safe and be aware.  Wear a mask

Another update



Various states across Brazil have implemented movement restrictions, curfews and lockdowns. Canadians should follow all local government advice, ensure that they meet all requirements, have valid visas, and do not overstay.

Be aware that commercial airspace closures and movement restrictions can occur without warning and could prevent your return to Canada. The Government of Canada is not planning facilitated flights to bring Canadians home during the COVID-19 pandemic

As a reminder for those remaining in Brazil:
- Monitor local media to stay informed of the situation.
- Follow the advice of local authorities, including public health advice and lockdown or shelter-in-place guidance.
- Take precautions against COVID-19. If you start to feel symptoms, self-isolate and monitor yourself closely. Avoid contact with anyone except health care professionals.
- Keep important documents in a safe, but easy to access, place.
- Make sure you have enough money, medication, food and water in case you need to extend your stay or are unable to leave your home or accommodations due to movement restrictions.
- Make sure you have a local SIM card and charger for your mobile phone.
- Make sure your passport is valid for at least another six months.
- Check with your travel insurance provider to know more about your policy as it relates to COVID-19. Find out if you are covered for medical treatment if you become infected with COVID-19 and for extended stays outside Canada.
- Contact your family and friends as soon as you can, even if you have not been affected, and continue to update them on your situation until you return to Canada.

You can also follow us on social media:
• Facebook : Canada in Brazil ; Canada au Brésil ; Canada no Brasil
• Twitter: @CanadaBrazil ; @CanadaBresil ; @CanadanoBrasil
• Instagram: @CanadaBRA