International travel risk assessment form

Students are required to complete this form prior to departing for any University activity that takes place outside of Canada.

It is recommended to complete this form at least one month prior to travel but must be completed before departure.

Staff and faculty are strongly encouraged to complete this form prior to their departure. It is recommended to complete this form at least one month prior to travel.

Questions? Contact studyabroad@mta.ca.

Preamble

International travel can present additional and/or heightened risks. For its part, Mount Allison University exercises its due diligence by helping you to identify risks that you may encounter while traveling abroad and then putting a plan in place to help mitigate those risks. The ultimate objective of this task is to ensure that you have researched potential risks associated with your international travel and that you have given consideration to the associated risks so that your safety and the success of the activity are not compromised.

Mount Allison University states that anyone who considers the University activity’s risk level after they have completed this survey to be too high has the right to withdraw their plan to travel. In addition, the University recognizes that if there is a change in the safety conditions of the country in which the University activity takes place, your right to withdraw also applies. Likewise, the University also has the right to refuse your participation in the University activity if there is a change in the safety conditions of the country prior to departure or while in-country.

Before you begin to fill in this form, make sure you have:

travel dates
researched safety and security threats, health risks, and laws and culture in your host country (information below) and developed mitigation strategies to respond to risks
researched current COVID-19 conditions in your host country
researched whether direct flights are available to your host country

* Indicates required field

Part 1 — Personal information

Name of traveller *

Name/title of trip *

Travel dates *

To get to your accommodation from the airport at your host country, select all of the modes of transportation you are likely to use. Select all that apply.

Flight

Taxi from airport

Uber/Lyft from airport

Public transportation such as bus or train

Complimentary airport pick up by host university

Section 2 — Identify host country risk level

The Government of Canada issues one of four risk levels to every country:

Level 1 Exercise normal security precautions
There are no significant safety and security concerns. The overall safety should take normal security precautions.
Level 2 Exercise a high degree of caution
There are identifiable safety and security concerns or the safety and security situation could change with little notice. Travellers should exercise a high degree of caution at all times, monitor local media, and follow the instructions of local authorities.
Level 3 Avoid non-essential travel
There are specific safety and security concerns that could put travellers at risk. Travellers should reconsider the need to travel to the country, territory, or region. If travellers are already in the country, territory, or region, they should consider whether or not they really need to be there. If not, they should consider leaving while it is still safe to do so. This level constitutes an official Government of Canada Travel Advisory and is issued when the safety and security of Canadians travelling or living in the country may be compromised.
Level 4 Avoid all travel
There is an extreme risk to travellers’ personal safety and security. Canadians should not travel to this country, territory, or region. If they are already in the country, territory, or region, they should consider leaving if it is safe to do so. This level constitutes an official Government of Canada Travel Advisory and is issued when the safety and security of Canadians travelling or living in the country is compromised.

Please go to the Government of Canada's travel advice and advisories page. Now find the country you will be travelling to from the drop down menu and click Go. Scroll down to the Risk Level tab to view the current risk level in your host country. Write the risk level below.

What is the current risk level of your host country? *

Are there any regional advisories within your host country that have a different risk level than your host country? *

If yes, what regions have advisories? Please list all of them and indicate why there is an advisory for that region.

Section 3 — Identify safety and security threats in your host country

This section refers to your personal safety while in your host country.

There are safety and security threats and hazards where you will be travelling. Think about what choices you can make to minimize the risks associated with the threats and hazards present in your host country and any other countries you visit. You will also be asked to consider the likelihood of being affected by the various threats and hazards present and how large an impact they could have on your overall experience.

Again on the Government of Canada travel advisory page, go to your host country and click on the Safety and Security tab. Most countries have the following: Crime, Terrorism, Women’s Safety, LGBTQ+ safety, Public Demonstrations and Protests, Fraud, Public Transportation, other transportation.

Please list at least three safety and security threats in your host country. *

Mitigating possible safety and security threats.

To mitigate a risk means to be mindful of the threat or hazard and minimize the possibility of you being affected by it.

An example of mitigating a safety risk would be, "Due to the presence of petty crime such as pickpocketing and bag snatching in my host country, I plan to be highly vigilant at all times, especially in the vicinity of hotels, airports, bus terminal, shopping malls, tourist sites, and other public places. I also plan to not display signs of being a tourist in touristy areas and will ensure that my belongings, such as my passport and other travel documents, are secure at all times."

Please list a mitigation strategy for three of the above safety and security risks highlighted in your host country. *

Assessing possible safety and security threats.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being very low and 10 being very high) what safety and security risk level do you give your host country after researching possible threats and hazards in this areas?

Identify health risks in your host country.

This section refers to how your health may be affected by your travel. Using the Government of Canada Travel Advice and Advisories section in the Health tab, find the main health threats and hazards in your host country. Most countries have at least three threats so please list a minimum of three. Examples include: vaccines, food/water, insects, malaria, person-to-person, medical facilities, health insurance.

Please describe what are the main health threats and hazards in your host country (list a minimum of three). *

Mitigating possible health risks in your host country.

How can you mitigate health risks while in your host country? To mitigate a risk means to be mindful of the threat and hazard and minimize the possibility of you being affected by it.

Example: "Due to the presence of malaria in my host country, I plan to bring antimalarial medication with me. I also plan to protect myself from getting mosquito bites by wearing long pants and shirts and using insect repellent as much as possible."

Please list a mitigation strategy for three of the above health risks highlighted in your host country. *

Assessing health risks.

In this health risk section, rank the likelihood of them happening to you from lowest to highest. The top one will be high likelihood of you being affected by this health risk and the bottom one means it will have little or no likelihood of happening to you. Also consider if something were to happen to you what impact would it have on the overall experience for you.

Rank the likelihood of health risks happening to you from lowest to highest.	Weight
Medical care is not widely available or difficult to access	Weight for Medical care is not widely available or difficult to access
Contracting a vaccine-preventable disease	Weight for Contracting a vaccine-preventable disease
Consuming contaminated food or water	Weight for Consuming contaminated food or water
Health insurance is not accepted at medical facilities so pre-payment is required by credit card before care is provided	Weight for Health insurance is not accepted at medical facilities so pre-payment is required by credit card before care is provided

Laws and culture.

This section refers to how laws and cultural differences of your host country can differ and need to be researched and considered prior to departure. Laws that differ drastically from local laws in Canada can be considered a threat or hazard and may have an impact on your travel. Think about what choices you can make to minimize the risks associated with not abiding by the law in your host country and any other countries you visit.

Again on the Government of Canada travel advisory page, go to your host country and click on the Laws and Culture tab.

Most countries have driving, laws, customs, money, LGBTQ2+, drinking and drugs, firearms, medication.

Please list at least three laws and culture that differ from Canada in your host country. *

Mitigating risks associated with laws and customs.

To mitigate a risk means to be mindful of the difference in the law and customs and minimize the possibility of you being affected by it.

Example: when travelling abroad with my prescription:

I will pack all my medications in my carry-on baggage in their original, labelled containers to facilitate airport security and customs screening. Prescription medication is exempted from the liquid restrictions but must be presented to the screening officer separately from your carry-on baggage.
I will not try to save luggage space by combining my medications into a single container.
Pack an extra supply of medication in case I am away for longer than expected.
Carry a copy of the original prescription and ensure that both the generic and trade names of the medication are included in case of loss or theft. A doctor's note describing why you are taking the medication is also recommended.
Do not buy medication outside Canada unless you have been advised to do so by a health care professional. Be aware of counterfeit medications or those that may not meet Canadian standards.
If you are carrying any unusual medication, check that it is legal and readily available in the country you intend to visit. Contact the foreign government office in Canada of the country you plan to visit before departing to make sure the medical supplies you intend to bring are allowed into the country.
Consult what you can bring on a plane to determine what you can and cannot pack in your carry-on luggage.

Please list a mitigation strategy for three of the above laws and customs that are different between Canada, your home country (if applicable), and your host country. *

Information about COVID-19 conditions at destination.

This section helps you focus on how your host destination is handling COVID-19 and how you may be affected by COVID-19 you while you are abroad. We'll be asking questions about potential requirements so you will want to research information related to the situation there and how it might affect you.

For information about COVID-19, please use the following website: https://www.covidchecker.com/en/. Also visit your host country's travel entry information website to verify information about travel to your host country.

What is the current protocol for arrival at your host country? i.e. when you arrive at the airport, what is the anticipated process for screening? *

If you have symptoms while in your host country, where will you get a COVID-19 test done? *

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