On May 26, 2026, the Government of Canada announced temporary border measures in response to an Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rising risk in Uganda and South Sudan. Starting May 27, 2026 at 23:59 EDT, Canada has suspended immigration documents for residents of all three countries for 90 days — meaning previously approved visas, eTAs, and PR documents don't work, and pending applications are on hold. A separate 21-day quarantine requirement for anyone arriving from these countries takes effect May 30, 2026 at 23:59 EDT and runs until August 29, 2026.
This is the most significant border-measure announcement Canada has issued since the COVID-era restrictions wound down. Here's exactly what's changing, who's affected, and what to do next.
What's been suspended
The Public Health Agency of Canada, working with IRCC and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), is using two separate authorities to put two distinct measures in place.
Measure 1 — Immigration document suspension (effective May 27 at 23:59 EDT). For residents of DR Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, Canada has suspended:
- Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs), including visitor visas already issued
- Electronic Travel Authorizations (eTAs)
- Permanent Resident visas, including PR confirmation documents already issued but not yet used to enter Canada
- Decisions on new applications for any of the above — IRCC will continue processing applications in the background but will not finalize decisions during the 90-day window
The suspension applies to residents of those three countries, not citizens specifically. The practical read: if your country of residence on file is DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan, your documents are paused.
Measure 2 — 21-day quarantine (effective May 30 at 23:59 EDT until August 29). Implemented under the Quarantine Act, this measure applies to anyone — Canadian citizens, permanent residents, persons registered under the Indian Act, and foreign nationals — who has been in DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the previous 21 days. Travellers without symptoms must quarantine for 21 days; travellers with symptoms will be isolated at a hospital for further assessment. Anyone without a safe place to quarantine will be provided an appropriate location.
The 90-day immigration suspension ends approximately August 25, 2026. The quarantine measure ends August 29, 2026. Both can be extended or expanded if the outbreak situation changes — the government has flagged that other countries could be added to the list as risk evolves.
Who's affected — and who isn't
Affected:
- Anyone whose country of residence is DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan and who is currently outside Canada with a valid TRV, eTA, or PR visa. You cannot travel to Canada with these documents while they're suspended.
- New applicants from these countries with pending TRV, eTA, study permit, work permit, or PR applications. IRCC will not finalize decisions during the 90-day window.
- Anyone — regardless of nationality or status — who has spent time in any of the three countries in the previous 21 days (effective from May 30). You'll need to quarantine for 21 days on arrival in Canada.
Not affected:
- Anyone already physically in Canada from these countries. You can complete your authorized stay normally — your existing in-Canada status is unchanged.
- Canadian citizens and permanent residents returning home. You can still return to Canada and will be screened at the port of entry. The quarantine requirement still applies if you've been in the listed countries in the previous 21 days.
- Travellers transiting through these countries on a connection (the news release frames "been in these areas" as a 21-day presence question, but the precise definition will be enforced by CBSA at the border — confirm with the carrier before booking).
The government has noted that there has never been a case of Ebola imported into Canada and that there are currently no Ebola cases in North America. The risk to people in Canada remains low. The measures are precautionary, tied to the severity of Ebola, the evolving international situation, and the FIFA World Cup 2026 — Canada is hosting 13 matches in Toronto and Vancouver between June 11 and July 19 and expects hundreds of thousands of international visitors.
What you should do — by situation
If you have a valid TRV, eTA, or PR visa and you're outside Canada in one of the three countries: Do not attempt to travel to Canada until the suspension lifts. The document is paused, not cancelled — but if you arrive at a Canadian port of entry while the measure is in force, you will be denied boarding by the airline or denied entry by CBSA. Watch travel.gc.ca for changes to the country list and the 90-day window. If your PR visa is set to expire during the suspension, contact IRCC through the IRCC web form to request an extension — IRCC has discretion to extend in cases where the holder couldn't travel due to government-imposed restrictions, but extension is not automatic.
If you have an application pending and you're a resident of one of the three countries: IRCC will continue working on your application in the background, but no final decision will be issued during the 90-day window. You don't need to take action. Don't withdraw the application — once the suspension lifts, processing resumes from where it left off. If your application requires a biometrics submission or medical exam during the window, comply with those instructions on schedule; the suspension applies to decisions, not processing steps.
If you're in Canada now and your status is set to expire during the suspension: Apply for extension or restoration as you normally would. The Ebola measures don't change in-Canada status rules. If you'd lose status during the 90-day window and you can't return home because your home country's documents are suspended, the restoration of status process is the relevant route, and you have 90 days from the date you lose status to apply.
If you've recently been to DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan (within the last 21 days) and need to enter Canada: Plan for the 21-day quarantine effective May 30. Travellers will need a safe location — government will provide one if you don't have one. This applies to Canadian citizens and PRs too, not just foreign nationals.
If you're a Canadian employer with workers from these countries who are abroad: Workers whose work permits are still valid but who are physically in DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan cannot return to Canada until the suspension lifts. If their work permit expires during the window and they can't get back, they'll need to apply for a work permit extension from outside Canada — processing will be paused, so they can't restart work until the suspension is over and the extension is approved. For employers with critical work in progress, document the impact in writing and consult an immigration lawyer about possible authorization pathways under public policy exemptions.
Why this matters beyond the three named countries
The news release explicitly notes that the list of suspended-document countries can expand. "The Government of Canada continues to monitor the situation closely and will adjust these measures as needed based on available evidence." If the outbreak spreads to neighbouring countries — Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya — they could be added with little notice.
If you have any travel planned to or from central or East Africa in the next 90 days, check travel.gc.ca before you go and again 24 hours before you depart. The government has been clear that border measures may change with little notice.
For visa applicants from the broader region, the practical effect is processing uncertainty. IRCC has not announced delays to applications from countries outside the three on the list, but visa offices that serve the region are likely to face workload disruption while the suspension is in place. Plan for longer-than-usual processing if your application is currently with the Nairobi, Pretoria, or Cairo visa office for African case-loads.
Compared to past border measures
This is the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that Canada has used the Quarantine Act and immigration document suspension together as a coordinated public health border measure. The closest historical comparison is the 2014 Ebola response during the West Africa outbreak, when Canada suspended visa processing for residents of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone for several months. That suspension lasted about 8 months before being lifted.
If the 2014 precedent holds, the 90-day window announced for 2026 should be read as the minimum — not the ceiling. Plan for the measures to remain in place at least through August 25, 2026, and potentially longer if WHO assessments of outbreak risk don't improve.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 context matters here. Canada is hosting matches between June 11 and July 19, with expected international visitor numbers in the hundreds of thousands. The government has explicit incentive to keep border-control measures in place through July at minimum to avoid an Ebola scare during the tournament. Even if the WHO downgrades outbreak risk in July, the 90-day suspension is unlikely to be lifted ahead of schedule.
If you're a PR visa holder from one of the three affected countries whose visa was set to expire in June, July, or August, contact IRCC now — not after August. The PR visa typically has a one-year validity tied to the medical exam expiry, and once the medical expires you may need a new exam before IRCC can extend. Starting that conversation immediately gives IRCC the maximum window to apply a discretionary extension under public policy. Waiting until the 90-day suspension is over leaves you fighting a clock against medical exam expiry too.
What's next
- WHO situation report — the World Health Organization issues weekly outbreak situation reports for active outbreaks. Watch for declarations of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); a PHEIC would likely extend Canada's border measures beyond 90 days and may add countries.
- IRCC operational bulletin — IRCC typically issues an operational bulletin within 2–4 weeks of major border-measure announcements detailing how visa officers should handle in-flight applications. Watch the IRCC notices page for guidance on what happens to applications when the suspension lifts.
- List expansion — if cases appear in Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, or other neighbouring countries, expect the suspended-documents list to grow. Subscribe to government travel advisories for those countries if you have travel plans.
- FIFA World Cup screening protocols — additional public health screening for World Cup attendees is likely to be announced separately in early-to-mid June. If you're planning to attend matches in Toronto or Vancouver, watch for announcements on travel.gc.ca about screening at entry points serving World Cup arrivals.
The Ebola border measures are unusual in scope and speed — a major immigration policy decision made in roughly 24 hours, coordinated across IRCC, Public Health Agency of Canada, CBSA, and Global Affairs Canada. For most ImmiNorth readers, the practical takeaway is narrow: if you or your family aren't connected to DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan and haven't travelled there in the last 21 days, your immigration plans are unaffected. If you are connected, the next 90 days require patience, careful document monitoring, and a backup plan.