Canada Government to ban sanctioned Russians from entering Canada

Ontario  : The Putin regime’s attack on Ukraine is a war on democracy, human rights and the right of Ukrainians to choose their own future. Be it military, political or economic support, Canada will continue to be there for Ukraine in its time of need and hold Russia accountable. A central part of our response has been economic sanctions, to hold accountable those responsible for Russia’s aggression.

The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, today announced that the Government will strengthen these measures by banning sanctioned Russians from entering Canada. The Minister will introduce legislative changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) to ensure foreign nationals subject to sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) are inadmissible to Canada.

These changes will allow the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to deny entry to, and remove, individuals subjected to sanctions, and will allow Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officials to deny visas.

Once in force, these amendments to IRPA will apply to all foreign nationals subject to sanctions by Canada, and any accompanying family members. The IRPA establishes the applicable criteria for all foreign nationals and permanent residents who seek to enter the country, and defines the factors that render a person inadmissible.

Canada has sanctioned roughly 1,000 individuals from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, including Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov, and Konstantin Anatolyevich Chuychenko. For more information and the full list of individuals visit: Sanctions – Russian invasion of Ukraine.