September 28, 2026: Ebola Immigration Measures Extended to November 27
IRCC has extended the Ebola-related immigration measures again. In a notice dated September 28, 2026, page details 2026-09-28, the department says the temporary measures now run 60 days, until November 27, 2026. The same end date is on IRCC's Ebola temporary measures page, last modified 2026-09-28: the measures began at 23:59:59 ET on May 27, 2026 and now end at 23:59:59 ET on November 27, 2026.
The September 28 date on our August 29 explainer is no longer the live cutoff. The rules themselves did not change. The date that matters for travel and file finalization did.
What the extension covers
The notice names three countries of last residence: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and South Sudan. Foreign nationals who listed one of those countries as their last country of residence on an immigration application still cannot travel to Canada while the measures apply. That holds even if they already hold an approved visa, permit, or electronic travel authorization.
IRCC lists the suspended documents as:
- temporary resident visas
- electronic travel authorizations
- temporary resident permit counterfoils
- permanent resident visas
Suspended documents are temporarily not valid for travel. IRCC will keep processing new and existing applications that fall under the measures. It will not finalize those applications while the measures are in force.
Citizenship is not the test. Last country of residence on the application is.
Official dates at a glance
| Item | Official figure |
|---|---|
| IRCC notice date | September 28, 2026 |
| Page modified | 2026-09-28 |
| Length of this extension | 60 days |
| Measures began | 23:59:59 ET on May 27, 2026 |
| Previous public end date | 23:59:59 ET on September 28, 2026 |
| New end date | 23:59:59 ET on November 27, 2026 |
| Countries named for residence-based suspension | DRC, Uganda, South Sudan |
| DRC recent-travel boarding rule | in force since July 20, 2026 |
The Public Health Agency of Canada's border-measures page, also dated 2026-09-28, states the same November 27, 2026 end point. Use that page for arrival screening, 21-day quarantine, and boarding rules. Use the IRCC page for visas, eTAs, permits, and PR visas.
What stayed the same
This is an extension, not a rewrite.
- Residence-based suspension still turns on last country of residence, not passport nationality.
- Processing continues. Final decisions wait. Files are not abandoned. They are held short of a final decision.
- DRC 21-day travel rule still applies as of July 20, 2026. A foreign national who has been in the DRC for any period in the previous 21 days cannot board a flight to Canada.
- Reactivation is automatic when the measures end or are repealed, if the document is still valid. You do not file a separate reactivation request.
- Expiry dates do not move. A visa or eTA that expires during the suspension is still expired. You need a new document for later travel.
- People already in Canada when the measures began keep the authorized stay they already hold.
IRCC still tells affected applicants who receive a passport request not to send the passport to a visa application centre while the measures apply. VACs cannot finish those files now. A submitted passport may come back with extra fees.
Who can still enter
Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and people registered under the Indian Act can return after recent presence in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan, subject to PHAC arrival screening and quarantine rules. Foreign nationals with DRC presence in the previous 21 days remain prohibited from entering or boarding, subject to narrow PHAC exemptions.
IRCC accepts case-by-case exemption requests for the immigration measures through its crisis web form. Officers look at public-health risk, steps taken to lower that risk, urgent protection needs, and humanitarian or compassionate reasons.
What to do this week
- Read IRCC's Ebola temporary measures page and PHAC's border-measures page before you book, board, or send a passport.
- Treat November 27, 2026 at 23:59:59 ET as the current end date. Do not rely on the old September 28 date.
- If you received a suspension email, update IRCC if your email address has changed.
- Do not send a passport to a VAC for finalization while the residence-based measure applies to your file.
- If you think you qualify for an exemption, use IRCC's crisis web form and keep copies of the evidence.
If these measures affect a visitor visa, work permit, study permit, or permanent-residence file, contact JSR Immigration & Legals through our consultation page or the visitor visa service page.
This article is general information current to September 29, 2026, and is not legal, immigration, or medical advice. Confirm the live rules on Canada.ca before you travel or file.
Immigration & paralegal practitioner at JSR Immigration & Legals, helping newcomers and Ontario residents with their cases.
This post is general information about Canadian immigration and Ontario paralegal matters and is not legal advice. Rules change and every case is different — confirm current requirements for your own situation.