Restrictions placed on travellers from Central Africa amid Ebola outbreak

Processing of immigration documents from DRC, Uganda, South Sudan will also be suspended, officials say

Published May 26, 2026  •  2 minute read

Dieudonné Sezabo, a health worker, decontaminates the clothing of a motorcycle taxi driver who transported a patient suspected of having Ebola to the Rwampara Hospital in Ituri, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 26, 2026. Photo by Glody MURHABAZI /AFP via Getty Images

The federal government is introducing temporary travel and immigration measures in response to the Ebola outbreak that is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo and some neighbouring countries.

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Travellers from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan will be required to self-isolate for 21 days, while immigration authorities are suspending applications from those three countries, federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel and Immigration Minister Lena Diab said at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.

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“The health risk to Canadians from Ebola remains low,” Michel said, adding that the self-isolation requirement, which matches the incubation period for the disease, is a “precautionary approach to ensure the safety and security of Canadians.”

Restrictions in place ahead of World Cup

She said the restrictions are in line with those introduced in the U.S. and Mexico as the FIFA World Cup approaches.

Effective Saturday and until Aug. 29, Canadian citizens, permanent residents and foreign nationals who have been in the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan in the previous 21 days and do not have symptoms will have to quarantine for 21 days under the Quarantine Act.

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“If they do not have a place where they can quarantine safely, they will be provided with an appropriate location,” the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a news release.

“Travellers who have symptoms will be isolated at a hospital for further assessment.”

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Officials ‘pause’ immigration documents

Immigration officials will suspend the processing of documents from citizens of the three Ebola-affected countries for the next 90 days, effective Wednesday at 11:59 p.m., Diab said.

The suspension would affect the processing of temporary and permanent resident visas, electronic travel authorizations, temporary resident permits, study permits and work permits, Diab said.

“Let me be clear: Documents will not be cancelled,” the immigration minister said, adding that “once the measures end, documents that have not expired will be reactivated and there is no need for anyone to re-apply.”

U.S. travel ban

Last Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Homeland Security banned non-citizens who had travelled to the DRC, Uganda or ​South Sudan from entering the U.S.

The most recent update from health authorities in the DRC said the African nation has 101 confirmed Ebola infections, 930 suspected cases and 221 suspected deaths.

There had been no cases of Ebola ​reported in Canada.

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