Congolese Montreal students face uncertainty over Canada’s Ebola travel restrictions

A trip back to Kinshasa this summer was supposed to be a chance for Jonathan Likongo to see his family after two years of living and studying in Montreal.

Instead, the Université de Montréal student decided to stay in Canada, worried that leaving could prevent him from returning.

“I was supposed to leave, but out of an abundance of caution and prudence, I didn’t,” Likongo said.

It proved to be the right move.

In May, Canada introduced temporary measures restricting entry for certain foreign nationals from multiple countries in central Africa, citing the risk posed by the Ebola outbreak. In July, it went a step further, saying it would deny ⁠entry ⁠to ‌foreign nationals who had been to the ⁠Democratic Republic of Congo ‌(D.R.C.) within the past 21 days.

The measures are currently set to remain in place until Aug. 29.

Likongo, a member of the Congolese Students’ Association at Université de Montréal, says the timing has been difficult for students who had planned to travel during the summer break.

“The illness arrived right in the middle of the holiday period,” he said. “Some people didn’t even know there would be all these restrictions.”

Hundreds of students affected

Universities across Quebec say hundreds of students could be affected by the measures, including people already enrolled in programs and students expected to begin their studies this fall.

Université de Montréal says 170 students from the D.R.C. or Sudan have been admitted for the fall, while another 182 people from those countries were already enrolled in programs during the winter or summer.

Université Laval says it has 240 students from the D.R.C., South Sudan and Uganda, including 72 newly admitted students and 168 continuing students. Université du Québec à Montréal says approximately 100 students are affected.

The universities say they are working with students to prepare for different scenarios.

At Université de Montréal, undergraduate students have until Aug. 29 to change their registration, while graduate students can begin their program later, within one year.

Université Laval says students can have their situations assessed individually, with options including deferring admission, starting classes remotely or arriving after the start of the semester.

Université du Québec à Montréal says it is also assessing solutions on a case-by-case basis.

Waiting for what comes next

For students still stuck outside Canada, the biggest question is: what happens after Aug. 29?

If the federal measures are extended, students may have to rely on alternative arrangements offered by their universities. If they expire, students will need to know what the rules will be for entering Canada and whether they can arrive in time for the fall semester.

For Likongo, the uncertainty meant missing an important chance to see his family.

“My family was devastated — both my mother and my father — because we were supposed to see each other this summer in Kinshasa,” he said.

He says he hopes the situation improves soon.

“We hope everything will be resolved in the coming days, and we really hope this disease will end so that we can see our families again.”