Family of Meng Wanzhou granted exemption to visit her in Canada

"Ms. Meng’s family was authorized by IRCC officials to travel to Canada," Foreign Affairs Minister's office spokeswoman Syrine Khoury confirmed on Wednesday.

Her husband, Liu Xiaozong, arrived in Canada in October while her two children arrived in the country in December.

Under current Canadian travel restrictions, non-essential travel to Canada from foreign countries is only allowed for those visiting family members who are either Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Meng, who is currently facing extradition to the United States, is neither.

Meng was arrested at Vancouver International Airport in 2018 by the RCMP on request of the United States government, which is seeking to try her for allegedly defrauding international institutions, most notably the bank HSBC. Meng denies all charges.

Shortly after Meng's arrest, China detained Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, which many observers have described as arbitrary detention for the purpose of retaliation against the Canadian government.