Hoping for honest answers on chances

[MarkGuy]

My Filipina gf will be applying for a TRV to Canada soon.

Here are all the important details.
I'm 71, she's 52.
She is poor. She is currently working part-time (her full-time contract ended recently).
I visited her in May-June this year in the Philippines.
We travelled to Hong Kong together.

She subsequently visited Hong Kong again and just recently Taipei.
I sponsored her for both those trips so she could bolster her travel record.

She owns property (her house).
She has two children 19 and 23 who live with her.
Her 19 yr. old is studying in university as a scholar.
She has a big family in the Phil but her children are her strongest family ties.
She pays her utility bills regularly.

I am retired and own my home. I can easily afford to pay for all her trip expenses
for a two week vacation here in Canada, including her plane tickets, food, accommodation
and any other expenses that may come up.

The aim is to have her come and return dutifully after two weeks to establish a good track
record here in Canada, to be built upon.

I welcome any advice you may have and also an honest opinion of her chances of
getting a TRV.

Thanks!

 

[canuck78]

My Filipina gf will be applying for a TRV to Canada soon.

Here are all the important details.
I'm 71, she's 52.
She is poor. She is currently working part-time (her full-time contract ended recently).
I visited her in May-June this year in the Philippines.
We travelled to Hong Kong together.

She subsequently visited Hong Kong again and just recently Taipei.
I sponsored her for both those trips so she could bolster her travel record.

She owns property (her house).
She has two children 19 and 23 who live with her.
Her 19 yr. old is studying in university as a scholar.
She has a big family in the Phil but her children are her strongest family ties.
She pays her utility bills regularly.

I am retired and own my home. I can easily afford to pay for all her trip expenses
for a two week vacation here in Canada, including her plane tickets, food, accommodation
and any other expenses that may come up.

The aim is to have her come and return dutifully after two weeks to establish a good track
record here in Canada, to be built upon.

I welcome any advice you may have and also an honest opinion of her chances of
getting a TRV.

Thanks!

Chances are very low but no harm trying.

 

[MarkGuy]

OK we will certainly try.
Going through the application right now.
I also just got off the phone with IRCC to try to get some tips from them.

I focused most of the call on the money side of course.
There is a box in the 5257e form (Pg 3 box 3) where they ask for 'Funds available for my stay (CAD)'.

Of course I didn't have a clue what to put there. AI told me I could break it down into funds she would be contributing and funds I would contribute.

After going back and forth AI came up with a number I thought was reasonable: $5,500 for a two week vacation ($1,500 hers and $4000 mine).
$2500-3000 would go towards the return flight ticket. That would leave $2,500 for other expenses for the two weeks.

The IRCC agent I just spoke with said $5,500 is quite low for a two week vacation.
I told him I could put any number there.
He said the more the better!

I would like to confirm with you here (as you are the experts on this) if this is correct?

I would also like to know what number would sound reasonable to the agent who approves/denies the application?

Would a number of $20,000 or more be great to use, or simply foolish?

 

[CanGoldDigger]

OK we will certainly try.
Going through the application right now.
I also just got off the phone with IRCC to try to get some tips from them.

I focused most of the call on the money side of course.
There is a box in the 5257e form (Pg 3 box 3) where they ask for 'Funds available for my stay (CAD)'.

Of course I didn't have a clue what to put there. AI told me I could break it down into funds she would be contributing and funds I would contribute.

After going back and forth AI came up with a number I thought was reasonable: $5,500 for a two week vacation ($1,500 hers and $4000 mine).
$2500-3000 would go towards the return flight ticket. That would leave $2,500 for other expenses for the two weeks.

The IRCC agent I just spoke with said $5,500 is quite low for a two week vacation.
I told him I could put any number there.
He said the more the better!

I would like to confirm with you here (as you are the experts on this) if this is correct?

I would also like to know what number would sound reasonable to the agent who approves/denies the application?

Would a number of $20,000 or more be great to use, or simply foolish?

IRCC call agents are not reliable source for such questions.

For TRV the applicant need to show her own cash, not yours.

5,500 is not enough at all, 20,000 is more appropriate. And you need to prove it.

 

[MarkGuy]

IRCC call agents are not reliable source for such questions.

For TRV the applicant need to show her own cash, not yours.

5,500 is not enough at all, 20,000 is more appropriate. And you need to prove it.

Thanks for your help.
I just got off the phone with another agent.
Could you cite how you know the cash available has to be hers?

This agent said a breakdown of the money hers/mine could be explained in a
Letter of Explanation to be included in the package.

Let's not mince words here though. It should have been clear that the applicant
is poor (from my OP). She has nothing even close to $20,000 in funds.

Given this information, are you saying she shouldn't bother applying?

Why does IRCC ask for the person inviting her (me) to submit my CRA Assessment Notice? Any particular reason you could think of?

 

[canuck78]

Thanks for your help.
I just got off the phone with another agent.
Could you cite how you know the cash available has to be hers?

This agent said a breakdown of the money hers/mine could be explained in a
Letter of Explanation to be included in the package.

Let's not mince words here though. It should have been clear that the applicant
is poor (from my OP). She has nothing even close to $20,000 in funds.

Given this information, are you saying she shouldn't bother applying?

Why does IRCC ask for the person inviting her (me) to submit my CRA Assessment Notice? Any particular reason you could think of?

IRCC can’t/shouldn’t providing you advice about how to complete applications and what is likely to get the application is approved. If you want advice you should consult with an immigration lawyer or consultant. Proof of funds should come from the person desiring to visit. IRCC does sometime consider other source of funds from mainly family. Your partner can certainly try to apply for a TRV but even if she had the savings she may be denied because there is always concerns that boyfriends/girlfriends will not return home. You can highlight that she comes from a country where the average salary is much lower than in Canada and is not wealthy although IRCC should be aware of the different cost of living in various countries. There are some other red flags when it comes to your application like the age difference, different financial situations and limited time together in person. Given her financial status and lack of full-time well paid employment she has a higher risk of wanting to remain in Canada. There are breakdowns in relationships while visiting Canada so IRCC also wants to ensure she would be able to pay for a hotel if necessary and book her own flight home. All you can do is try your best.

 

[MarkGuy]

.... There are some other red flags when it comes to your application like the age difference, different financial situations and limited time together in person. Given her financial status and lack of full-time well paid employment she has a higher risk of wanting to remain in Canada. There are breakdowns in relationships while visiting Canada so IRCC also wants to ensure she would be able to pay for a hotel if necessary and book her own flight home. All you can do is try your best.

Thanks for your reply canuck.

Could you please explain WHY IRCC can't/shouldn't be providing advice about how to complete applications? To me it would seem to be the most natural/important thing they could do to assist applicants.

You mentioned consulting with an immigration lawyer/consultant.
Sure that's a possibility, but what's wrong with a site like this with its connections to immigration lawyers?

You talk about "proof of funds". I see no mention of proof of funds in the application. I do see "funds available" for the trip. There is a big difference between the two.

Again, as I mentioned in my last post, why would the IRCC deliberately ask the person inviting the visitor (me) to provide their financial situation (CRA Notice of Assessment + Bank Statements + Property Taxes) if they weren't factored into the decision made by the IRCC officer? And if they are factored into their decision, who are we to decide how much importance they play in that decision?

Yes of course all we can do is try. But as I mentioned in my OP I really wanted to get as many opinions on our chances for success. Whether it is 50%, 25%, or less etc.?

 

[CanGoldDigger]

Thanks for your reply canuck.

Could you please explain WHY IRCC can't/shouldn't be providing advice about how to complete applications? To me it would seem to be the most natural/important thing they could do to assist applicants.

You mentioned consulting with an immigration lawyer/consultant.
Sure that's a possibility, but what's wrong with a site like this with its connections to immigration lawyers?

You talk about "proof of funds". I see no mention of proof of funds in the application. I do see "funds available" for the trip. There is a big difference between the two.

Again, as I mentioned in my last post, why would the IRCC deliberately ask the person inviting the visitor (me) to provide their financial situation (CRA Notice of Assessment + Bank Statements + Property Taxes) if they weren't factored into the decision made by the IRCC officer? And if they are factored into their decision, who are we to decide how much importance they play in that decision?

Yes of course all we can do is try. But as I mentioned in my OP I really wanted to get as many opinions on our chances for success. Whether it is 50%, 25%, or less etc.?

Cuz IRCC call agents are incompetent, simple as that. It's not their duty to be in any way, no matter how weird it may sound.