Please provide two (2) recent photographs along with your passports for yourself and each accompanying dependent. For instructions on photo requirements and specifications, see: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/pdf/5445EB-e.pdf
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I suppose this means we need to send passports of dependents as well?
I did get separate medical examination request emails mentioning UCI of each member in the application, would it be the same with passport requests too?
Each recipient has to look at their letter - but it is not VFS that decides what are 'unrequested passports.' The letter from IRCC (in all cases I am aware of) says to submit passports for principal applicant and dependents. Specific language for those that need visas is "provide your passport or travel document and a passport or travel document for each accompanying family member."On the website and tweets, it is clearly mentioned that unasked passports will be returned back. There isn’t any point in sending passports of the people of whom VFS has no instructions.
So the question is not whether the passport has been requested for the other accompanying family members; the question is whether the VFS person spoken to actually knows what they are talking about.
My own experience has been that info from VFS office - only one, cannot speak for others - and through their online chat/telephone helplines is not reliable. On top of that, I was never able to get info specific about my file - just general statements that turned out to be worse than zero information because did not apply to my case.
Each will have to decide on their own what to do, but the passports for the PA and accompanying family members have been requested (if the text of the letter is same as quoted above, and it appears it is).