Dual Citizens With Canadian Passports Not Covered By Trump Ban

Canada, Under Trudeau leadership, has received assurances that Canadian passport holders will not be included in an American travel ban. Recently, American President Donald Trump released a travel ban that has barred citizens of seven countries from getting into the United States.

On January 28, an email from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office confirmed that the U.S. has given assurances that Canadians with dual citizenship will not be turned away at the border. The email from Kate Purchase, Trudeau's director of communications, indicates that Canadian citizens traveling on Canadian passports will be dealt with in the usual process.

Previously the U.S. State Department released a statement that Canadians with dual citizenship from Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and Libya would be rejected entry for the next three months along with citizens from those countries. Purchase's email, however, said Trudeau's National Security Adviser Daniel Jean and other officials were in communication with their American counterparts, including Trump's National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

The federal government has been low-key in its response to the American ban. PM Trudeau on his post on January 29 on Facebook confirmed the above-mentioned assurance. Trudeau said that he has instructed Canada's National Security Advisor, Daniel Jean, who was in communication over the course of the day with NSA Flynn to seek further clarification.

Furthermore, NSA Flynn confirmed that holders of Canadian passports, including dual citizens, will not be affected by the ban. Trudeau stated that the government has been assured that Canadian citizens traveling on Canadian passport will be dealt with ‎in the usual process. He further said that they will continue to share on this and other channels.

CTVNews notes that an American law enforcement official informed The Associated Press that there was an exemption for foreigners whose entry is in the U.S. national interest. It was not, however, immediately clear how that exemption might be applied.