TRV Thai g/f to Canada Advice

[canuck50]

I am Canadian and have been living seasonally in Thailand 6 to 7 months per year for about 5 years. When in Thailand I stay with my long time g/f in a leased condo with both of our names on the lease. I want to bring her to Canada in April for three weeks to see my country and meet family. She has a full time job at a major International company who has provided her with a letter confirming her employment of 7 years and her granted three week vacation time to travel to Canada, with the date of her return to work. She is not rich but has about 350,000 Baht in long term savings, established banking records, and many credit cards with large available credit and no balance. She also has title to some land, no children, never married, but has parents and siblings. I will provide a letter of invitation stating I will pay all her travel and living expenses while in Canada and return air tickets.

So to maximize her chances of approval, I am wondering about how to represent our relationship. Meaning should she claim common law marriage on her application and provide evidence (history of my Thailand travel, joint condo leases, utility bills, etc), or claim single and describe our long-term relationship? I might be concerned about the common law method in case they suspect she might decide to stay in Canada on family sponsorship. So what do the members here think would be the method most likely to succeed? As an aside, she plans to also apply for a visitor visa for the US for the same time span so that we can travel to Texas to visit my brother and his extended family there. Would this help or hurt her cause for the Canadian TRV? Looking forward to your thoughts/advice.

 

[scylla]

I am Canadian and have been living seasonally in Thailand 6 to 7 months per year for about 5 years. When in Thailand I stay with my long time g/f in a leased condo with both of our names on the lease. I want to bring her to Canada in April for three weeks to see my country and meet family. She has a full time job at a major International company who has provided her with a letter confirming her employment of 7 years and her granted three week vacation time to travel to Canada, with the date of her return to work. She is not rich but has about 350,000 Baht in long term savings, established banking records, and many credit cards with large available credit and no balance. She also has title to some land, no children, never married, but has parents and siblings. I will provide a letter of invitation stating I will pay all her travel and living expenses while in Canada and return air tickets.

So to maximize her chances of approval, I am wondering about how to represent our relationship. Meaning should she claim common law marriage on her application and provide evidence (history of my Thailand travel, joint condo leases, utility bills, etc), or claim single and describe our long-term relationship? I might be concerned about the common law method in case they suspect she might decide to stay in Canada on family sponsorship. So what do the members here think would be the method most likely to succeed? As an aside, she plans to also apply for a visitor visa for the US for the same time span so that we can travel to Texas to visit my brother and his extended family there. Would this help or hurt her cause for the Canadian TRV? Looking forward to your thoughts/advice.

She should focus on showing very strong ties to Thailand. Placing focus on your relationship will increase the chances of refusal and make IRCC concerned she has plans to remain in Canada long term.

The US visa application will only be helpful if she is approved, travels to the US for a visit and then returns to Thailand before she applies for the Canadian TRV.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I am Canadian and have been living seasonally in Thailand 6 to 7 months per year for about 5 years. When in Thailand I stay with my long time g/f in a leased condo with both of our names on the lease. I want to bring her to Canada in April for three weeks to see my country and meet family. She has a full time job at a major International company who has provided her with a letter confirming her employment of 7 years and her granted three week vacation time to travel to Canada, with the date of her return to work. She is not rich but has about 350,000 Baht in long term savings, established banking records, and many credit cards with large available credit and no balance. She also has title to some land, no children, never married, but has parents and siblings. I will provide a letter of invitation stating I will pay all her travel and living expenses while in Canada and return air tickets.

So to maximize her chances of approval, I am wondering about how to represent our relationship. Meaning should she claim common law marriage on her application and provide evidence (history of my Thailand travel, joint condo leases, utility bills, etc), or claim single and describe our long-term relationship? I might be concerned about the common law method in case they suspect she might decide to stay in Canada on family sponsorship. So what do the members here think would be the method most likely to succeed? As an aside, she plans to also apply for a visitor visa for the US for the same time span so that we can travel to Texas to visit my brother and his extended family there. Would this help or hurt her cause for the Canadian TRV? Looking forward to your thoughts/advice.

It doesn't matter if you state that you will pay her expenses. She needs to show that she can pay everything herself. Her parents and siblings are not ties.

Common-law requires that you have one year of continuous cohabitation. If you don't have one year, you aren't common-law. As scylla said, a relationship with a Canadian lowers chances of approval.

 

[canuck50]

She should focus on showing very strong ties to Thailand. Placing focus on your relationship will increase the chances of refusal and make IRCC concerned she has plans to remain in Canada long term.

The US visa application will only be helpful if she is approved, travels to the US for a visit and then returns to Thailand before she applies for the Canadian TRV.

So are you suggesting she should check "single" on the application and not mention me or our relationship? In that case I would have to write the letter of invitation as a "friend". Would that not be suspicious why a "friend" is willing to pay all her costs for travel and living? And if I do not put this in the letter, they will then expect much more proof of her own financial resources and more detailed booking of travel and lodging, when in fact I will arrange all of that.

I had thought that showing the following would be strong evidence:

1. My history of time (6-7 months) spent yearly in Thailand
2. Her employment/vacation authorization letter.

 

[canuck50]

It doesn't matter if you state that you will pay her expenses. She needs to show that she can pay everything herself. Her parents and siblings are not ties.

Common-law requires that you have one year of continuous cohabitation. If you don't have one year, you aren't common-law. As scylla said, a relationship with a Canadian lowers chances of approval.

Yes, I read that. Actually, I did spend a little over 1 year here with her about 4 years ago and we can prove that. The reason I am in Canada for five months each year is to keep my provincial health insurance active, and during that time we maintain joint expenses. But I see your point about how they might perceive it. However I do not see why a Thai would spend that kind of money to travel to the other side of the planet to just "take a vacation", unless they have a good friend or partner to visit. To me, that concept would be a tougher sell.

 

[canuck50]

She should focus on showing very strong ties to Thailand. Placing focus on your relationship will increase the chances of refusal and make IRCC concerned she has plans to remain in Canada long term.

The US visa application will only be helpful if she is approved, travels to the US for a visit and then returns to Thailand before she applies for the Canadian TRV.

The US visa and travel plans would only come up in the letter of invitation that would describe our travel plans. I thought it might add some validity to the reason of "meeting family", and show she is not simply coming to Canada.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Yes, I read that. Actually, I did spend a little over 1 year here with her about 4 years ago and we can prove that. The reason I am in Canada for five months each year is to keep my provincial health insurance active, and during that time we maintain joint expenses. But I see your point about how they might perceive it. However I do not see why a Thai would spend that kind of money to travel to the other side of the planet to just "take a vacation", unless they have a good friend or partner to visit. To me, that concept would be a tougher sell.

If you lived together for a year, then you are common-law and she will have to state that in her app.

 

[canuck78]

So are you suggesting she should check "single" on the application and not mention me or our relationship? In that case I would have to write the letter of invitation as a "friend". Would that not be suspicious why a "friend" is willing to pay all her costs for travel and living? And if I do not put this in the letter, they will then expect much more proof of her own financial resources and more detailed booking of travel and lodging, when in fact I will arrange all of that.

I had thought that showing the following would be strong evidence:

1. My history of time (6-7 months) spent yearly in Thailand
2. Her employment/vacation authorization letter.

Given that you have the same address and repeated visits it will be very obvious that you are in a relationship so instead of playing games like others do and say that you are a “friend“ inviting her I would just be honest. Unfortunately the chances of her getting a TRV are very low so would not make any plans or promise any visits to family in Canada until you have secured a TRV.