Immediate family members who want to unite with a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident

Who is an immediate family memberAn immediate family member is defined as a

• spouse or common-law partner
• dependent child (yours, your spouse’s or your common-law partner’s)
• dependent child of a dependent child
• parent or step-parent (yours, your spouse’s or your common-law partner’s)
• guardian or tutor

How to unite with your family member in CanadaYou do not need a written authorization from us confirming that you’re exempt from the travel restrictions.
However, to board your flight to Canada, you must

• follow all airline requirements and pass a health check conducted by airline officials to confirm that you don’t have symptoms of COVID-19, including a fever, a cough and difficulty breathing
  • Anyone showing symptoms will not be allowed to board a flight to Canada.
• tell the airline that you’re exempt from the travel restrictions
• make sure you have a valid travel document (visitor visa or electronic travel authorization [eTA], if required) and a passport that is valid to come to Canada
• present proof to show that you’re an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or Canadian permanent resident
• show that you’re eligible to travel at this time
  • You must be able to provide evidence of one of the following:
    • You’ll stay in Canada for 15 days or more.
    • You’re travelling for a non-discretionary purpose.

Documents to use as proof that you’re an immediate family memberYou must have 2 types of documents:

• one that shows your immediate family member’s status as a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident
• one that shows your relationship to that family member

Documents that show the person’s Canadian citizenship, status under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident statusThese documents include

• a Canadian passport
• proof of Canadian citizenship, such as a citizenship certificate, citizenship card, or provincial or territorial birth certificate
• secure certificate of Indian status, certificate of Indian status or temporary confirmation of registration document (TCRD)
• a Canadian permanent resident card
• a Canadian permanent resident travel document

Documents that show your relationship to that personExamples of documents include

• a marriage certificate or proof of common-law status (documents showing a shared address)
• a birth certificate
• a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) for one of the following:
  • the family class (the COPR category under Application Details will be FC)
  • the one-year window of opportunity provision (coded OYW under Special Program)
• other documents that show an immediate family connection, for example
  • correspondence from us showing a spousal sponsorship application in progress
  • documents that show a shared home address

Note: Paper and electronic copies of the documents above are accepted. The documents above are examples only. An officer may request or accept other documents, as needed.