Tourist visa for Canada

[docetae]

What is the probability for my girlfriend to get a tourist visa to Canada  ? We are planning to spend some time together for the end of the year, and there are two choices, I travel to Ukraine or she comes to Canada. Is there a probablity that  a tourist visa for Canada will be delivered to her ? She is 28 and has just one travel in turkey on her passport...

[catzenmouse]

doc,

 I believe that we have a few Canadian members who may have some experience but aside from that, have you checked with the Canadian Government?

Ken

[docetae]

I checked, but they told me this will depend of the evaluation of her profile in the Kiev ambassy. She is young, pretty, has not travelled a lot  has not a lot of revenues , so I want to know if there are way for me to support her visa request.

[catzenmouse]

If they are even close to the US laws for this then I would have serious doubts about her getting a visitor visa. A big part of it is that they want to see hard evidence of the desire to return which is property, job, family, bank account, etc.

Young, single, pretty, and without a good job are all big hits against her.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

Ken

[Oiler]

Your chances of obtaining a tourist is extremely low. The FSU is an automatic "red flag" for immigration officials in Canada. A young woman with no means is usually automatically rejected. I know because I asked about that at the embassy and with the government at home.

If she came for eductation or business reasons, it might be different.

[catzenmouse]

You never know how they will react, but the main thing is to not play games with these people. I know of one individual who got married to a lady then tried to bring her into Canada on a student visa while they were waiting for the Married Visa (don't know what you call it, K3 here) and they shot them down for trying to circumvent the system. He says that it is allowed but the fact is that she did not get the visa and from my experience with the government they WILL be a jerk anytime they CAN be a jerk.

Ken

[Rvrwind]

Her chances of getting a Tourist Visa to Canada are about a million to one, just a they are for the US. Wih the new changes in the immigration policy they may be even harder.
Unless she can have some concrete proof that she will return to Russia at the end of the Visa term I wouldn't bet money on her getting it.
It is much easier for you to go there than for her to come to you.

[Troyboy1971]

I checked, but they told me this will depend of the evaluation of her profile in the Kiev ambassy. She is young, pretty, has not travelled a lot  has not a lot of revenues , so I want to know if there are way for me to support her visa request.

docetae:

My girlfriend from Ukraine came to Canada on a visitor visa not once, but twice!! Last summer and this summer

The trick is that she needs to be employed over there, and her employer should write a letter on her behalf stating that she is expected to return at a certain date.

This should increase her chances to visit to visit Canada when she goes for her interview at the Embassy.

By the way. Citizens of Estonia no longer need a visitor visa to Canada. Just a passport now. This restriction was recently lifted back in September.

[RussianGal]

What is the probability for my girlfriend to get a tourist visa to Canada  ? She is 28 and has just one travel in turkey on her passport...

I too think it`ll be really hard, if not impossible. I just looked at one Canadian forum created by expats from Russia. People ask the same question there and the answer is 'Canadian tourist visa is harder to get than a US one'.

[Donhollio]

 The Canada idiots in Ottawa will have to determin if shes a risk to "our" Immigration process. You know there afraid that she will not go home ,get a job,pay a bile of taxes and contribute to our country just like the 1.2 million other UA immigrants have done in the past. Im sure if you check the welfare rolls in Canada you'll see that other counties are the useless ones. Anyways, if she has a vey good job,has traveled in western europe,holds property in UA anything that will keep the noose around her neck to retrun to the motherland. Your part is to show the CRA (Tax branch renamed
 15 000 times already to make it seem less of what they really are.) Your last T4 so to show them your not going to whore her out once in Canada.  I have read on another forum about a guy who spent months with his RG,and got a visitors visa. And another who met a girl at McDonald's outside the Kiev train station,however she has preferred status with her previous travels and position at work.

   It's not impossible but the odds are staked against you,plus it'll take a trip (better you attend) the visa app. with her and dish out the $75 it'll cost you for them to process it.   It is given or denied the same day right on the spot.

[DKMM]

Not all the FSU, those with Estonian citizenship don't even need a visa.  Maybe you should look there?   

[Troyboy1971]

Why don't you guys just have her apply for a job in Alberta or BC? The government just allowed unskilled foreign workers to accept jobs that no Canuck wants, and give them a work visa in 2 weeks.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/press/06/0621-e.html
Shit, let all those Russkie women work at Hooters! 

[Donhollio]

Troyboy is right .They are very hungry for unskilled workers in Alberta. Many resturants have had to reduce their hours because of labour shortages. She may be able to get in that way. As long as she works at the place stated on her visa.

 Has anyone tried a study visa ?  She could come to Canada and take English lessons,I was told by the CDn embassy in Kiev that it's not impossible (whatever their idea of that is)  any thoughts?

[Troyboy1971]

Troyboy is right .They are very hungry for unskilled workers in Alberta. Many resturants have had to reduce their hours because of labour shortages. She may be able to get in that way. As long as she works at the place stated on her visa.

Not only that, Donhollio. They can even sponser their honey as a girlfriend to live in Canada. They can sponser her as a conjugal partner or as a common law relationship in Canada. You can thank the recently changed gay marriage laws for this. Because it includes all sponsership rights for both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.

[Donhollio]

 I heard that spousal visa was really difficult to get ,because of the stipulation that you had to prove you have lived together for 1 year. Has those rules changed that much ?
 Is trying for a spouse visa is easier now ?

[Troyboy1971]

If he can get her that unskilled work visa to work in Alberta or B.C., who is really stopping her from living with him? Those work visas are good for up to 2 years, I believe. And... if they get married in the country, like my wife and I did, the marriage is legally recognized by the government. But he can use the common-law sponsorship route if she has permission to work (or go to school and work- as students here can now work off campus), just as long she can maintain her visa status.

Keep in mind that companies can sponsor them directly, but she needs to prepare a proper resume and cover letter, and she (or he) needs to apply for the jobs directly by email or fax. Companies in Alberta and B.C. are now allowed to hire foreign workers if Canadians don't answer their help wanted ads after 2 weeks of posting them.

[Misha]

My then girlfriend (now wife) did get a visa. But, there were a few factors at play. I was at the Consulate in Moscow when she was interviewed. I was then told that the next time I should sponsor my girlfriend first (i.e. apply to sponsor her and then have her apply for permanent resident status). We were very lucky that she did get a visa. Consular officials are more suspicious than ever given changes to the Citizenship and Immigration two years ago: now, a woman (or a man) can legally stay in Canada while their application for permanent resident status is being processed. It does not matter how they came into the country or even if they are legally in the country. So, single women with few ties to  Russia do raise a number of red flags and their odd of getting a visa are not very good (as was mentioned in prior posts).

[docetae]

the only issue is that I am living in Quebec and I can not move out of this province because of my children. If I move to Alberta (where I will be able to find a job with no problem , I worked in the natural gas industry here during several years), I need to pay travel Montreal -> Calgary at least 2 times per months for 3 children. And If they will probably find this funny at the beginning, I am not sure they will like this on the long term.
Work visa are valid the time you are working for the place you are working for. She wants to see where I live, etc before taking a decision. I understand her perfectly, she has a son and she wants to be secure about this.

we will see how our holidays will be and we will decide probably after what we do.

[Misha]

Sadly, the system is set up to make it difficult to have your girlfriend visit you before you get married. I wanted my wife to come to Canada before we got married. What if she did not like it here? What if she could not adjust? We were lucky in that she got a visa, but most young, unmarried women who want a visa to visit a male friend in Canada won't. It is a bit silly in my opinion: why encourage men to marry and sponsor their girlfriends before they have even visited the country?

[DKMM]

I think a woman should want to marry you for who you are and not for where you live.  So as long as you know you don't live in a craphole, she should not care so much what life is like there if she wants to be with you bad enough.

[Misha]

I agree that a woman should marry you for who you are, but moving to another country is not an easy decision to make. Not every person is capable of dealing with culture shock and not every woman is capable of living in a new country even if she loves you. You don't really understand what culture shock is until you have lived in another country.

[docetae]

I think a woman should want to marry you for who you are and not for where you live.  So as long as you know you don't live in a craphole, she should not care so much what life is like there if she wants to be with you bad enough.

She does not care where I live but how I am in my today life here. She knows that she will not have to worry on the material side. As she told me, I was able to see her, to meet her friends, her family, she wants to do the same on my side (even the view will be limited, to see my family will need to travel around the world ...), to see how I am with my children, she has only a partial view of me. She wants to know me before being engaged. I know her since 1 year and half but we have spent only 1 month together and we are just leaving a crisis period (I had an accident and we were 8 months without meeting... each one did not know what to expect when we met last june, but everything was for the best.)

People, me included are not exactly the same abroad, in a country where you have difficulties to understand the language and when I am enjoying company of friends in my house.

 She had a extremely bad experience with her ex husband (Ukrainian) who was perfect at the beginning of their relation but a control freak after their child was born and today she is worried easily. I just want to give her the opportunity to be worry free. She knows already that migration is not easy, her aunt has married a man in Israel and first years were difficult for her, I have myself moved from Europe to Canada, so I know that the culture shock is a reality.

[Misha]

You are right about people not being the same at home when abroad. When you are abroad,  it is a vacation and you don't have to deal with the everyday problems of life. You tend to spend more, go to restaurants, are under a lot less stress, etc... I can understand why she would want to see you in your "natural" setting. My wife wanted the same thing, even though we spent four months together in Russia.

[Rvrwind]

You don't really understand what culture shock is until you have lived in another country.

Well I guess I fit that bill...