Russian girl needs visa for Canada

[Boethius]

She has $4500 saved, and an income of $1200 per month so presumably, she can save more before she applies.  There are students from the FSU who enter Canada with less than that.  If she is taking ESL courses for less than six months, she will not be required to meet the "student visa" requirements.

[Gylden]

One of the most common mistakes people make, when applying for a visa is to think that somehow if they omit certain things which they BELIEVE might not look good, can actually help obtain a visa. Or worse, provide missleading information. Things do slip through he cracks now and then, but interviewers have good training to recognise these things.

As an example, if you apply for a visa as a tourist and the interviewer asks if you have any firends in the country, what do you say? If you lie and are caught, then it will affect future applications.

Best to be honest.

[Jooky]

One of the most common mistakes people make, when applying for a visa is to think that somehow if they omit certain things which they BELIEVE might not look good, can actually help obtain a visa. Or worse, provide missleading information. Things do slip through he cracks now and then, but interviewers have good training to recognise these things.

100% agree.

Even with friends working at the US Embassy, the thought process still doesn't make much sense to me. It's very subjective, and it seems to me often the people most likely to want to leave Russia and stay in the US are the ones granted a visa!

However, the main thing the reviewers and interviewers look for is misleading information or misrepresentations. If one thing is fishy, that something else is probably not right.

I've actually wondered if just being completely straight with a direct honest letter would work.

"I met this girl online. I want her to visit me and I will cover all of her expenses. We have no intention of marrying at this time, but if it comes to that we will follow the correct legal procedures."

Someone should give it a try. 

[epcortek]

The problem is that when they ask "Who will pay", if she answers "My Canadian Boyfriend" that is seen as a major red flag.
So she had better be able to convince them that the primary purpose is education, not to visit the boyfriend.

I belive a student visa is virtually out of the question.In canada there is no need to apply for this type of visa because duration of the course is so short. If the course is less than 6 months she can apply to be in this course and attent this course on a temporary residant visa.

I havent spoke to her about taking this english course. Maybe she would like to while she was here. The course looks good, it is 6 weeks and they begin by evaluating your english. I suppose she can apply to enter this course and if her visa is refused she i think it can be refunded.

But it will have to be under a temporary residant visa, not a student visa. I suppose i could also use this in my letter of invitation. Mention she paid and was accepted into the course. Another option the government allows is for her to actually apply for this course while she is in the country. So maybe i could mention in the invitation letter.." depending on her approval she would like to further her understanding of english and the canadian culture and make an application to enter this course at the university of alberta "  .


All very good things to look into. Also, good find on the course. I did not realize that the main university in my region offered an english course of this nature. Good stuff everyone

[Boethius]

You won't know if it's an issue unless you go through the process.  There are hundreds of FSU students at the University of Alberta, and hundreds more studying at Alberta high schools.  Getting a student visa is not that difficult.

[epcortek]

The problem is that when they ask "Who will pay", if she answers "My Canadian Boyfriend" that is seen as a major red flag.
So she had better be able to convince them that the primary purpose is education, not to visit the boyfriend.

Well i plan to have her  here in October if possible. If nothing changes she will have over 5000 saved by then. So she would have the means to pay for the course(1800) and plane(1250). I would explain in the letter of invitation i would help with her accommodation expenses.

[SFandEE]

Immigration really needs some reform. It seems so discriminatory.

Not as aware of the political issues surrounding immigration and visas in Canada.  Up until 9/11 I had always thought they were much more liberal with their immigration policy.

Immigration policy is discriminatory in the US such as to exploit an underclass in other nations.  I expect that the policy with FSU nations is so that there is not a mad rush from these nations and that it is more political than discriminatory.

Nonetheless, I agree with you sentiment--Current immiagration policy is garbage and not rational.  I look at it as restricting my freedoms too.  I should be free to associate with whom I please in my home for as long as I want without bureaucrats and politicians inserting themselves into the relationship.

I will be most interested in your interview of your immigration bureau.

[Misha]

After reading these posts, im stuck here wondering why its so hard for someone to travel here. Especially if they know a citizen of the country who will sign a letter of invitation.

Because, they know that citizen can marry her and submit an "In-Canada Application for Permanent Residence" and she can then stay in Canada while the application is being processed. This is precisely what they do not want.

Would it help if if i explained in the letter, im not some dirt bag trying to cheat the system and I simply would like to get to know this individual better and show them a little part of my country and the culture here in Canada ?

See above. They would likely tell you that if you are serious about getting your girlfriend to know Canada to marry and sponsor her first  :evil:

I make enough money that i can afford travel 2 months to get to know this person better in russia if i must. So if im denied i will simply do some more traveling and if the girl is deticated enough to me she will accept that.

Then, I recommend, that you go spend two months with her in Russia. Will be much easier to do and when you are there, record everything to demonstrate that you have a valid relationship because if you ever file for sponsorship and she applied for permanent residence, you will have to demonstrate that the relationship is real and that it won't simply be a marriage of convenience.

[Misha]

I had always thought they were much more liberal with their immigration policy.

Immigration and temporary residence visas are two different entities. When you apply for a temporary residence visa, they want to see that you have the means to visit Canada and will be sufficiently motivated to leave Canada once your visa runs out. Immigration can be done either by applying independently or when being sponsored by a relative (including a spouse).

[cranehand]

Well i plan to have her  here in October if possible.

Not a chance my friend, I'm sorry.  I applied for K1 in March and my fiancee is still not here.  It WILL NOT be a quick process. SHE will not be denied quickly.  It is a long and frustrating journey to get them to this side of the world.  May I suggest you visit her multiple times in her own country and if possible travel to a third country Egypt for example, this is very easy trip for the two of you and the visas can be purchased on the ground when you enter the airport.  Travel from FSU is inexpensive and the two of you will be out of your own element you will learn alot in a short amount of time about oneanother. 

It's not that they can not come to this country or that country but as others have said, It is virtually impossible for someone of her age, social status, family situation to get here.  One of the biggest concerns our countries have is that once here they will become a public charge.  You will sign a sworn statement to disclose your income and swear to the feds that she will not be a burden on the system.

Good luck my friend but if you wish to know this person you will need to put your feet on the ground where she lives. 

[daveyj]

I applied for K1 in March and my fiancee is still not here.  It WILL NOT be a quick process. SHE will not be denied quickly...It's not that they can not come to this country or that country but as others have said, It is virtually impossible for someone of her age, social status, family situation to get here....You will sign a sworn statement to disclose your income and swear to the feds that she will not be a burden on the system.
 

Cranehand, I think you are referring to a K1 fiancee visa for the US, whereas the OP is referring to a tourist visa for Canada.  As such the processing times and application process are entirely different.

[daveyj]

I will still send a letter of invitation and have her apply for a tRV in my country.

I've been doing a lot of research on the process of getting a Tourist Visa to Canada.  My understanding is that they have about 5 minutes to review your application, and they focus on hard facts. (flight/hotel booked?  previous western visits?  factual evidence of speaking english?  proof of assets and/or ties to the home country?).  Similarly, the focus on factual warning signs (young girl with no travel history?  older "boyfriend"?  etc)

I think your belief that a letter of invitation will help is misplaced.  I understand what you are thinking.  But the problem is that anyone can write a letter of invitation, and it doesn't matter what it says because the visa office doesn't have the time and resources to confirm what is in your letter.

If you send the letter, then you are trying to use emotion to influence a logical analysis by the visa officer.  While your intentions may be sincere, unfortunately the use of emotion to distract logic is a standard technique by con artists.  Therefore by sending an invitation letter full of fervent devotion, you start the alarm bells of the visa officer wringing.  At best you are a risk for getting married during the trip and she won't leave, and at best you (or her) are scamming the system and/or each other.

For the Visa officer who gets your application, they will have the consequences of their visa approvals statistically tracked. If they have a higher "failure" rate (ie people not going home, etc) then they will hear about it.

If you are a known personage in Canada, then your letter of invitation might help. Otherwise, I personally caution against it.   

Are you and her on facebook?  I'd suggest that she "friend" various of your your close friends, and then when filling out the names of people she intends to visit, she can list 5/10/more? of her friends who are Canadian citizens and their emails, and who she intends to visit.  Far better than just a passionate letter from you.  Having said all of this, I admit that I have no insider knowledge on the process - this is simply the information I have gleaned from my research.

In either case, good luck!

[Chicagoguy]

I agree with Voyager about staging this.

Please do not dismiss Turkey and Egypt out of hand. I and my then girlfriend [ now wife ] went to Turkey and it has a great amount of history and/or very good beaches on the Mediterranean Sea. One area has a many hotels set up similar to Rivera Maya in Mexico. All price ranges and qualities.

Maybe have her talk to travel agencies in St. Pete about some ideas and Schengen visas. I used Russian agency for my trip and sent $$ directly to them on credit card.

Be careful not to get her too excited about Canada. Some guys immediately start talking about Disney World. Sorry, but this is not a quick process.

[falcon]

Here are some info for Canadians who would like to get a visa for an Ukrainian gal;

Ukrainians continue to travel and immigrate to Canada in significant numbers, further reinforcing the close familial, social, and cultural ties between the two countries. In 2008, the Embassy of Canada in Kyiv issued approximately 8,500 temporary visas to visitors, students, and temporary workers and processed around 1,600 new immigrants to Canada. Canadian employers are actively recruiting temporary and permanent skilled workers in Ukraine. Several Canadian provinces have established skilled worker recruitment programs, thereby contributing to the continued growth of Canada’s economy and the prosperity of all Canadians.

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/ukraine/bilateral_relations_bilaterales/index.aspx?lang=eng&menu_id=9&menu=L

[docetae]

Hello,

Some infos, about tourist visa, forget it. As it was told, they will estimate first the probability she will come back to Canada. This is based on simple things like family, owning apartment or high paid job.

You have the chance to be in a province where immigration is quite easy. A student visa is a good solution and should be quite fast. It must be done in two steps: 1) to get approval from university, 2) to apply for the visa.

She should apply in several universities. do not forget there are many foreign students who apply and they are very picky. She will have to do some english skill test (GRE, Toefl).

About Europe, the problem will be always her age. The best she can do is to apply for a Schengen visa with a group travel and after leave this group. It is quite easy to have a schengen visa for Czech republic, Poland, etc. When you are in Schengen space, you can go where you want

My wife had a danish Schengen Visa, she entered in Nederland and we met in Paris before travelling to Italia.

Feel free to ask if you need info about Canadian visa or Schengen visa, as french living in Canada, We went trough both procedures !

[falcon]

Ukrainians continue to travel and immigrate to Canada in significant numbers, further reinforcing the close familial, social, and cultural ties between the two countries. In 2008, the Embassy of Canada in Kyiv issued approximately 8,500 temporary visas to visitors, students, and temporary workers and processed around 1,600 new immigrants to Canada. Canadian employers are actively recruiting temporary and permanent skilled workers in Ukraine. Several Canadian provinces have established skilled worker recruitment programs, thereby contributing to the continued growth of Canada’s economy and the prosperity of all Canadians.

The above statement should give someone a clue as to what type of lady is the best prospect. I'm currently staying in touch with 2 medical doctors, and one dentist (all ukrainians). What are the chances that any of them will be denied...?

[Boethius]

Doctors from Ukraine would have to do a residency in Canada, which is difficult to get.

Skilled worker programmes are on the downswing in most provinces, because of the economy. 

[allenkey]

To the OP !
Assuming your lady is Russian you could EASILY appear for a Tourist Visa to Cyprus..  This is THE easiest place for Russians to get Visas and it might still be free or just over 10 Euros

You would have to fill in an 'assuption of responsibility' form

Once you've got a couple of those under your belt and can demonstrate you have met in an EU third country this SHOULD help - a lot ...


http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/embassies/moscowembassy.nsf/All/EA5D349BC873C82AC22570F9002F4509?OpenDocument

[rockford75]

Go to Immigration Canada and ask them. If your gonna marry the girl then you can sponser her. Talk to a immigration lawyer. Im going thru the same thing myself but my girl much older then yours. You sure she not just using you for immigration to canada?

[epcortek]

Ok she was denied. haha
So now i am starting a new thread. This time it involves me going to moscow, marrying Natalia and doing a sponsorship. Feel free to join the thread and maybe you can answer some of the questions i have.

I am calling the Thread.

" How to marry in mosocow with 14 days or less ! "