Historical guide — this thread is from the COVID-19 border-restriction era, when travellers needed exemptions or authorization letters (AL) to enter Canada. Those restrictions have ended; treat this as history, not current procedure.A secondary applicant's family had their authorization letter refused: the husband (principal applicant) and children were deemed not directly related to her PR mother and citizen sisters, and she was told a secondary applicant couldn't travel without the principal. Members advised:
- Immediate-family exemptions could apply through the PR parent. Because her mother held PR status, one member suggested she could travel directly by carrying documents proving she was uniting with an immediate family member in Canada.
- Clarify edge cases with IRCC via webform. For the children, the suggestion was to raise a webform asking whether a grandchild counted as an 'immediate family member' — if yes, no AL would be needed at all.
- Expect tightening during outbreaks. Members noted refusals had become stricter as case counts rose, so decisions could vary with the public-health situation.
The durable lesson: when a travel/entry exemption hinges on how IRCC defines a relationship, get IRCC's own written clarification via webform rather than relying on group consensus.