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How to United with Extended Family Member – Updated Version

Posted on 04/07/2021

We posted on 2020/10/09 on how you may be able to reunite with what is called extended family members who are in Canada as long as your extended family members in Canada are Canadian citizens, Permanent residents of Canada, or registered Indians.

You may also be able to in certain circumstances reunite with someone who is temporarily in Canada. We’ll discuss that in a separate blog.

Please note that as of July 5, 2021, foreign nationals eligible to travel to Canada may be exempt from certain testing and quarantine requirements if they are deemed to be fully vaccinated. First of all, as we explain below, the following types of foreign nationals are eligible to visit Canada:

• Immediate family members of a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian who will be visiting Canada temporarily for at least 15 days.
• Extended family members of a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian who will be visiting Canada temporarily for at least 15 days and who have obtained written authorization from the IRCC to travel to Canada.

As of July 5, 2021, here are the details of quarantine and testing exemptions. To qualify for the exemptions, you must meet the following requirements for what is called Fully Vaccinated Status in Canada:

• You are eligible to enter Canada (as an immediate or extended family member you normally would meet this condition)
• You are asymptomatic (you do not show any symptoms associated with COVID-19)
• You have received all the required doses of one or a combination of the following vaccines at least 14 days before you travel to Canada:
  • Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
  • Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
  • Astra-Zeneca/COVISHIELD COVID-19 vaccine
  • Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine – single dose
• The following vaccines are currently NOT ACCEPTED for fully vaccinated status in Canada. If you have been given these vaccines you will still have to quarantine and undergo testing.
  • Bharat Biotech (Covaxin, BBV152 A, B, C)
  • Cansino (Convidecia, Ad5-nCoV)
  • Gamalaya (Sputnik V, Gam-Covid-Vac)
  • Sinopharm (BBIP-CorV, Sinopharm Wuhan)
  • Sinovac (CoronaVac, PiCoVacc)
  • Vector Institute (EpiVacCorona)
  • Any other vaccine that is not in the previous, approved list
• To ensure Fully Vaccinated Status in Canada, you must upload proof of your vaccination (Pfizer, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca, or Janssen) to the ArriveCAN application. If your proof is neither in English or French, you must include a copy of a certified translation in English or French. Here is what you must upload digitally as proof of vaccination to ArriveCAN:
  • Date, country in which taken, and type of vaccine received for your first does.
  • Date, country in which taken, and type of vaccines received for your second dose.
  • A PDF file or photo of the record of each dose in one of the following formats: PDF, PNG, JPEG, or JPG (2 Mbyte maximum file size allowed)
  • If not in English or French, provide a Certified Translation into English or French.
  • PLEASE NOTE: The ArriveCAN app will be ready to accept people who may be Fully Vaccinated starting on JULY 5 at 12:00 AM.
  • If your vaccine is not an accepted one (see above) the app will ask you to book or whether you have booked a government-approved hotel to quarantine yourself. In other words, you will not be exempt from quarantine and testing.
  • If your last dose was less than 14 days prior to the date you arrive in Canada, ArriveCAN will also ask you to book a government-approved hotel to quarantine yourself. In other words, you will not be exempt from quarantine and testing.
  • If there are several people travelling together to visit a family member in Canada and only one of them is NOT fully vaccinated, then all members of that group will have to quarantine and be tested.
• You must have received all the doses of your vaccination – a partially vaccinated foreign national will have to comply with quarantine and testing requirements.
• Even if you meet the requirements for Fully Vaccinated Status in Canada, you must provide a pre-travel test before boarding your flight to Canada. The test must NOT be an antigen test. The following types of tests are accepted:
  • PCR – Polymerase chain reaction
  • RT-PCR – reverse transcription real time PCR
  • Quantitative PCR (qPCR)
  • Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)
  • Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)
  • Isothermal amplification
  • Droplet digital PCR or digital droplet PCR (ddPCR)
  • Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA)
  • RNA (Ribonucleic acid)
  • Ct (cycle threshold)
  • CRISPR
  • Sequencing
  • Next generational sequencing (NGS) or whole genome sequencing (WGS)
  • Oxford Nanopore sequencing (LamPORE)
  • Detection of the N gene
  • Detection of Orf1a/b
  • Detection of the S gene
  • Detection of the E gene
  • Detection of the RdRp gene
• You must provide proof of your test result which includes the following:
  • Traveller name and date of birth
  • Name and address of the facility that did the test
  • The date on which the test was done
  • The type of test (from the list above)
  • The test result
• You must provide proof of a test result even if you have been fully vaccinated and have had previous tests (more than 72 hours ago).
• Remember to keep your test results with you for at least 14 days in case you come into contact with a symptomatic person or develop COVID symptoms.
• As well, you should have a quarantine plan – even if you are exempt – in case you develop symptoms. You may not have to use your quarantine plan but you should have a plan.
• You should register with an Airport Testing provider using the same email address you used to register with ArriveCAN. The following are test providers at Canada’s main airports:
  • Montreal Airport – Biron Groupe Sante. Go here to register.
  • Toronto Airport – Switch Health. Go here to register.
  • Calgary Airport – Government of Alberta. Go here to register.
  • Vancouver Airport – LifeLabs. Go here to register.
  • To leave your airport (Port of Entry) you will have to take a test.
  • If you are given a home kit test, take it on Day 1 of arriving and send it to the lab according to the instructions provided.
  • If your test result is negative (no COVID) then keep a list of all close contacts over your first 14 days in Canada and keep copies of your proof of vaccination for those first 14 days as well.
  • If your test result is positive, isolate yourself and await instructions from local public health officials who will contact you. Keep copies of your proof of vaccination for 14 days.
• Remember, it is up to immigration and public health authorities to determine if you have Fully Vaccinated Status in Canada and they will do this when you arrive at your airport in Canada.

What is an extended family member?

Now, in order to reunite with an extended family member in Canada, you must fit one of the categories listed below to be considered an extended family member according to IRCC’s regulations and policies:

If you have a direct relationship with the Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you must be related to the Canadian citizen or permanent resident in one of the following ways:

• You have been in an exclusive dating relationship for at least 1 year with the citizen or permanent resident in Canada and have spent some time physically together with that person during the relationship.
• You are a non-dependent (adult) child of that person.
• You are a grandchild (dependent child of a non-dependent adult child) of that person.
• You are a sibling, half-sibling, or step-sibling of that person.
• You are a grandparent of that person.

If you’re related to the spouse or common-law partner of the Canadian citizen or permanent resident, then you must be:

• A non-dependent child (adult child) of the spouse/common-law partner
• A grandchild (dependent child of a non-dependent (adult) child) of the spouse/common-law partner
• A sibling, half-sibling, step-sibling of the spouse/common-law partner
• A grandparent of the spouse/common-law partner

If you’re related to the person in an exclusive dating relationship with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, then you must be:

• A dependent child of that person in an exclusive dating relationship
• A non-dependent child of that person
• A grandchild of that person

How do you unite with your extended family member in Canada?

Step 1:

The person in Canada must download form IMM 0006 Application for Authorization and Statutory Declaration. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it and if you still have trouble doing so right-click on the link and save it to your hard drive and then open it from there using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• The person in Canada must indicate whether they are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and by clicking the appropriate button, and then fill out section 1 of form IMM 0006 and also fill out section 2 which gives the information about the extended family member abroad who is applying to come to Canada to unite with them. At this point the person in Canada should NOT sign section 4.
• The person in Canada should then send form imm0006 to their extended family member abroad.

Step 2:

The extended family member abroad should sign the form (that is, fill out section 3 of the form) and then send it back to the person in Canada who they are applying to unite with.

Step 3:

The person in Canada should then fill out section 4 (which is a legal, sworn declaration) in the presence of one of the following officials in Canada who are authorized to take declarations/oaths including:

• A commissioner for oaths,
• A justice of the peace,
• A lawyer,
• A notary public, or
• A Consular Officer of the Government of Canada

PLEASE NOTE: If the familial relation in Canada is a minor (less than 18 years old) then they should have their parents or guardian to sign on their behalf.

Step 4:

The person in Canada should then send you – the extended family member – a copy of the completed and signed form IMM 0006 which you must then use to apply for a written authorization as we explain in the following step:

Step 5:

You must now use your signed and completed copy of form IMM 0006 to apply to IRCC for a written authorization to travel to Canada. This process depends on whether you need a visitor visa, or an eta as follows:

 If you haven’t yet applied for a visitor visa, go here to apply online. Remember to do the following:

• Click on the blue Apply online through the IRCC Portal button at the bottom of the page.
• You will be taken here to IRCC’s new online portal where you should click on the green Get an IRCC portal account button at the bottom of the page.
• You next create your IRCC Portal Account.
• You then fill in a form giving information about your trip to Canada to see a family member.
• Finally, you submit your application for exemption from quarantine and testing.

• For the drop-down menu 1a: purpose of travel, choose other
• For the Tell us more about what you’ll do in Canada question, include dates and write COVID-19, (using capital letters and a hyphen exactly as shown)
• Include a copy of the completed and signed from IMM 0006 as proof of your relationship to the person in Canada.
• Pay the fees
• Wait for an email reply from IRCC which will be sent to your IRCC Secure Account (which you will have to get when you start the process using the link above)

If you have already applied for a visitor visa, you should:

• Go here to IRCC’s online portal and fill out their webform. This method was introduced around April 2021, replacing the email address previously used.
• On the webform’s drop-down menu:
  • Choose “Submit a travel exemption enquiry”
  • Next click on “Continue to form”
  • Enter the email address you wish to use for communicating with IRCC
  • If you are using a Representative and want to give your Representative’s email address, you must provide a completed form IMM 5476
  • Provide your UCI (Unique Client Identifier) if you have one. If not leave this field blank.
  • Provide your application number from your visitor visa application.
  • For the field: What did you apply for?  select “Temporary Residence” and then select “Temporary Resident Visa”
  • For the field: Tell us about your situation, provide the following information:
    • A detailed reason why you meet the travel exemption
    • Your passport number
    • The dates you plan to travel (arrival and departure dates)
    • Current Country of Residence (where you live now)
    • If you’ve already booked your flight, provide your travel itinerary including: flight number, departure time and location, arrival time and location.
• You must include the following documentation – or a certified translation with a certified photocopy of the original document if not in English or French – to support your claim that you are exempt from travel restrictions:
  • If you are an immediate family member of a citizen, registered Indian, or permanent resident of Canada submit proof of your relationship including:
    • Marriage Certificate
    • Proof of Common-law Status
    • COPR for a Family Class application
    • Other documents showing shared address for example
  • If you are an extended family member of a citizen, registered Indian, or permanent resident of Canada submit proof of your relationship, including:
    • If your family member in Canada is 18 or older, include a completed and signed form IMM 0006
    • If your family member in Canada is under 18, include a completed and signed form IMM 0016
    • Make sure you provide the correct form, if you submit the wrong form, your application for authorization to travel will be delayed and may even be refused
    • Proof of your relationship including:
    • A copy of your family member’s Canadian passport or Canadian birth certificate
    • A copy of their Certificate of Indian Status
    • A temporary confirmation of registration
    • A copy of their PR card or Permanent Resident Travel Document
  • If you are travelling for humanitarian and compassionate reasons include:
    •  Your authorization letter from PHAC
  • If you are travelling to an ISSE (International Single-Sport Event) in Canada:
    • Your National Minister of Sports needs to request a Letter of Authorization to Canada’s Deputy Minister of the Department of Canadian Heritage (abbreviated as PCH)
    • The Department of Canadian Heritage (PCH) will respond to your Minister giving them instructions on what to submit.
• You’ll be contacted within 14 business days with a response either:
  • Approving your application, or
  • Refusing your application, or
  • Asking for more information.
• If you are approved you will receive information on the next steps to take.
• It is recommended that you DON’T book your flight until you get your travel authorization from IRCC. However, if you have booked your flight, remember to include the information listed above (flight number, arrival times and dates, departure times and dates).

If you have an eTA, or you are applying for one, you should:

• If you don’t have an eTA yet, you need to apply online for an eTA.
• Then, contact IRCC through their Web Form. Go here and click on the grey Continue to Webform button.
  • Provide your email address for contact with IRCC.
  • Provide a Unique Client Identifier (UCI) if you have one. If not leave this field blank.
  • If you’ve applied for your visitor visa, give your application number.
  • Select Temporary Residence
  • Select Electronic Travel Authorization
  • In the Tell us about your situation field give the following information:
    • A detailed reason why you meet the requirements for a travel exemption to come to Canada
    • Your passport number
    • The dates you plan to travel
    • Your current country of residence
  • While it is not advisable to book a flight before receiving an eTA, if you have already booked your flight, you should include the flight number as well as your arrival time and date and departure time and date.
• Submit documents to show you are eligible to travel at this time (your copy of the notarized IMM0006 form and other relevant documents listed in the previous section)

If you are a U.S. citizen, you do not need a visitor visa or an eTA to travel to Canada. While you do not need a written authorization to visit an immediate family member, you still need a written authorization to unite with an extended family member. 

To obtain a written authorization go here to this IRCC page and click on the grey “Continue to web form” button:

• From the drop-down menu: choose “Submit a travel exemption enquiry” and then click on the blue “Continue to form” button.
  • Provide your email address for contact with IRCC.

• • Provide a Unique Client Identifier (UCI) if you have one. If not leave this field blank.
  • For the What did you apply for field, choose Temporary Residence.
  • In the Tell us about your situation field give the following information:

• a detailed reason of how you meet a travel exemption to come to Canada
• your relationship to the family member in Canada
• the status of the person in Canada
• your passport number
• the dates you plan to travel
• where you live now (current country of residence)

• If you’ve already booked your travel, provide your travel itinerary including your
  • flight number
  • departure time and location
  • arrival time and location

Step 6:

You have to bring the following with you in order to board the flight to Canada:

• A copy of your completed form IMM 0006 Application for Authorization and Statutory Declaration as well
• A copy of your Written Authorization from IRCC
• Be ready to pass a health check by airline officials at the airport
• Have your valid travel document – visitor visa or eta and your passport
• Have additional proof of family connections like a birth certificate or similar documents
• Be able to prove that you’re travelling to Canada for 15 days or more and are travelling for an essential purpose (non-discretionary).

The notarized form IMM0006 may only be used within 6 months of signature. If it’s longer than 6 months before you’ll be travelling, you will need a new statutory declaration.

As a Notary Public by the Attorney General of the Province of Ontario duly appointed, Mary Zhang provides professional in person and virtual notarial services.

Posted in News Tips and tagged Extended family members, IMM 0006, IMM0006