I did a travel exempt we form yesterday and got a reply today, below is what they wrote - guess I am applying they new portal
We have received your request for a written authorization under the travel restrictions exemptions.
Please note that IRCC will only issue written authorization to an applicant who holds a valid Canadian travel document (i.e. electronic travel authorization [eTA] or visitor visa). Based on our review of your enquiry and the information in our system, we can confirm that your application for a visitor visa is in our processing queue. However, since you do not yet have a valid Canadian travel document, we are unable to process your request for an exemption to the Canadian travel restrictions. As such, your request will not be processed.
While we are unable to provide an update on the processing of your visitor visa application, please note that if you applied before September 7, 2021 and need to travel to Canada now for one of the
following reasons, we recommend that you submit a new application through the
IRCC portal. If you require written authorization, your request will be processed as part of your new visa application.