History of trying to get into Canada. Red flag?

[ser5600]

I've been reading around quite a bit and I've learnt that if an applicant has a history of trying to get into Canada, the visa officer might consider that a red flag, or at the very least see it as a point of concern. This is true especially for applicants who are not visa exempt.

A few months ago I submitted an application to sponsor my wife (not visa exempt) who has never left her home country before, and prior to the spousal sponsorship, she has never applied for a visa for any country let alone Canada. We're starting to miss each other but I can't visit her due to my job, so I am helping her apply for a TRV instead. My question is this: when the visa officer processing her spousal application sees that she has applied for a TRV, would that be a point of concern? Her spousal sponsorship application is being processed at New Delhi.

This is a bit of a catch-22. If I can't visit her, that's a red flag. If she tries to visit me but is refused a TRV, that's also a red flag. What do I do?

 

[canadianwoman]

Multiple failed attempts to enter a first-world country is a red flag. One attempt is not really, unless there are other issues. In addition, your wife will be applying for a TRV after you have already sent in your sponsorship application, so it is not something that will be on the PR application. The visa officer will most likely see it as neutral - your wife is not trying over and over to enter Canada, she is just trying to visit her husband after her PR application was submitted. Don't worry about it.

 

[Shineon39]

A red flag for this matter would be more like if someone applied for study visa and get refused then tried to get work permit get refused to finally get married to a canadian and applied for pr. This would be a huge red flag. But someone who aplly for a trv to see her husband, nothing to worrie

 

[mikeymyke]

That would be fine. Red flags would be someone being refused TRVs multiple times, or having applied for study permit before. It might not be such a red flag if for example, she applied for a study permit, got into Canada, met you, then apply for sponsorship later. It would be a pretty big red flag if for example, she applied for study permit, is refused, returns home, goes online and meets a Canadian, then marries one.

 

[ser5600]

That would be fine. Red flags would be someone being refused TRVs multiple times, or having applied for study permit before. It might not be such a red flag if for example, she applied for a study permit, got into Canada, met you, then apply for sponsorship later. It would be a pretty big red flag if for example, she applied for study permit, is refused, returns home, goes online and meets a Canadian, then marries one.

But she has never applied for a TRV before or a study permit before. The spousal app is the only type of visa she has ever applied for in her entire life.

I actually don't have high hopes for the TRV and I've come to terms with that, so if it gets rejected, we will just put it behind us and keep on waiting. The only thing I care about is to not jeopardize her spousal app.

 

[mikeymyke]

A TRV, whether successful or refused, will have almost no effect on the spousal application. If she is refused, don't go trying again and again to get her another one.

It doesn't hurt to try for the TRV, you never know, it could work. My wife got one while she was still married to me (see signature)