GAC/post-secondary/QA

Questions and answers for educators

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How do I advise students who are dual citizens of both Canada and the country they are studying in on which passport to use? Is there a general rule around this? Unfortunately, there is not a universal answer to that question. In Canada, we recognize dual citizenship, but many other countries do not. For example, if you are a dual citizen of Canada and Thailand and you are travelling to Thailand, you must enter and exit with the same nationality passport. Recognition and rules vary between countries and that is why it’s important to consult our destination-specific advice for the country in question. This advice would be found under the Entry and exit requirements section.

Is it true that even if the country does recognize dual citizenship, you could be denied Canadian consular services? Yes. Ultimately, Canadians must obey the laws of the country they are visiting, and dual citizens could be subject to local laws that other Canadians travellers are not. So, again, doing the research via destination-specific advice is crucial. The refusal of consular services could be a consideration, but depending on the country, a dual citizen could even be legally required to register for military service or have to pay taxes in that country.

We understand that some updates amplified by the Registration Abroad Service would be relevant to anyone travelling. Is there a mechanism in place to provide these updates to people who would benefit from the info, but are not Canadian citizens? Yes—whenever new travel advice is published; our social media channels amplify the updated advisory. Both occur in real time. TravelGoC and VoyageGdC post about the updates as soon as they happen to keep all followers informed.

If a group of students and faculty are travelling together, some of which are Canadian citizens, some are permanent residents, but all of them stick together to seek assistance from the Canadian embassy, would the PRs be denied of services? Context always matters, but Consular services are for Canadian citizens. There is a difference between arrest and detention vs. enquiring about travel documents or protocol to prepare for natural disaster. Questions like is there a presence of the PR’s country of citizenship in the country; or what level of assistance is needed would be of value to provide a more specific response. Even Canadian consular services are limited in some countries, so without question, the priority would be providing services to Canadians.

What is the difference between the Travel Health Updates and the updates that you share? Our advice is divided into multiple categories, health being one of them. More specifically, the Public Health Agency of Canada's Travel Health Notices outline potential health risks to Canadian travellers and recommend ways to help reduce them. Our country-specific information touches on safety and security, local laws and customs, entry requirements, health conditions and other important travel issues.

Overall, what is the level of liability between institutions and the Government of Canada? That depends on the level of support offered by the institution. Insurance, policies and formalities associated with travelling would also factor in, but all that would be part of the institution's process. The Government of Canada helps students and faculty abroad as needed. It also has information on insurance and travel advice but is not liable for situations that occur outside of the country.

Is there a protocol in place to notify consular officials when we have a group going out on a research project? Sometimes we have mini research trips included in the overall abroad experience. Yes, our Registration of Canadians abroad service allows registration for multiple destinations in the same trip. Once you have entered the registration details for your first destination country, select the option “I will be visiting other countries” in the “Other Information” section.