Permanent residents of Canada who are citizens of one of those countries are also expected to be exempt from the executive order, which was signed on January 27. According to the latest information from both sides of the border, these individuals may enter the U.S. provided they have a valid Canadian Permanent Resident Card and a passport from one of the seven affected countries, and be otherwise admissible to the country.
On Saturday, January 28, a number of reputable media outlets in Canada reported that the opposite would be true. The Canadian Press, whose content is syndicated across media including the National Post and Global News, among others, reported that Canadian dual citizens and permanent residents would not be able to enter the U.S. while the ban is in effect.
However, the situation was clarified the next day by Canada’s recently-appointed Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen, who held a news conference in Ottawa to try to clear up some of the confusion created by the American ban.
“The American administration has confirmed that Canadian dual nationals are not affected by this executive order. Moreover, we have been assured by the White House that Canadian permanent residents with a valid Canadian Permanent Resident Card and a passport from [one of] those seven countries can still enter as before,” stated Hussen, who happens to be a Somali refugee who gained Canadian citizenship 15 years ago.
Minister Hussen went on to reveal that there are around 35,000 dual citizens of Canada and the countries specified by the Trump administration.
