Please help! Parents Visa Questions

[bluecrunch]

Hi Seniors,

I recently received my landing papers and plan to land later this year. My parents would like to visit Canada around the same time, and I was just wondering if someone can help with the questions below.

If they decide to apply for a visitor’s visa before I land as a PR, would my status as a soon-to-land-PR hurt their chance of getting the visa? For example, could it possibly be denied on grounds such as having “Immigrant Intent?” Also, as part of CIC’s “Determine your eligibility” questions, it asks “Do you have a family member who is a Canadian citizen or PR?” Since I haven’t landed, should they still answer “No?”

If they decide to apply for a visa after I land, would they then qualify for a super visa? Based on what I have read, the income requirement does not say it must be Canadian income. I meet the income threshold although I currently work in the U.S. Would this be okay? On a related note, for PR through family sponsorship for my parents, does it also stricly require Canadian income?

Thanks a lot in advance for your help!

 

[scylla]

To qualify for the super visa - the income does in fact need to be from Canadian sources. So unfortunately the income you earn right now in the US can't be used. And yes - for PR the income must be from Canadian sources as well (and you also need to show three consecutive years of income from Canadian sources that meets the minimum to qualify to sponsor your parents for PR).

 

[bluecrunch]

To qualify for the super visa - the income does in fact need to be from Canadian sources. So unfortunately the income you earn right now in the US can't be used. And yes - for PR the income must be from Canadian sources as well (and you also need to show three consecutive years of income from Canadian sources that meets the minimum to qualify to sponsor your parents for PR).

Thanks a lot for your quick reply. So I guess the only available option is the visitor's visa. As mentioned above, should the timing of their application have any significance? Once I land, will they have to apply under the "visit family" category of visitor visa, or is "tourism" still available? Will my status as PR affect their chance of getting a tourist visitor visa (i.e. will "immigrant intent" be somehow inferred?)

Thanks so much again!

 

[scylla]

There's just one class of tourist visa. To be approved, your parents will need to demonstrate that they are genuine visitors (i.e. have strong ties to their home country) and have no plans on remaining in Canada long term. So you'll want to show things like proof of property ownership, bank or other asset ownership, proof of employment, proof of business ownership, etc.

I'm not sure what to say when it comes to the question about having family members in Canada who are PRs or citizens. I think I would be tempted to answer "yes" even if you haven't landed and then to explain that you have an approved PR visa but haven't actually landed yet. Yes - the fact you have a PR visa could have some impact on the processing of their visitor visa. That's one reason why it's important to show strong ties to their home country.

Good luck.