Wife and son TR visa refused.

[Hereforadvice]

Hello Senior members and forum community.

I have been reading this forum for quite some time but was waiting for the right moment to post my questions and to ask for help.

As the title indicates, my wife and son (10 yo) were refused a TR visa for all of us to go to Canada during the summer. I currently have a valid TR visa and visited Canada in 2018 for 2 weeks - Lovely country. I wanted to take my family and show them all the cool cities I visited and do the touristy things during the summer of 2019.

I am sorry for the long story, get that popcorn ready...

Without much hesitation, I applied for their TRs in January 2019 in Bogota, Colombia where we reside. By the time I submitted their applications I was not reading this page actively and made crucial mistakes with their paperwork. I did not submit all files that could have helped out their application and was not aware of all their internal checks and visa requirements they want to approve a TRV.

I recently requested the GCSM notes to get more information regarding their refusals and as expected, the notes correlated to what the generic refusal email indicated.

"PA's and 10 yo son, limited travel history, no USNIV. With whole family traveling, few ties to home country. Limited proof of funds submitted, not satisfied that they are sufficiently established in home country. Not satisfied that they are genuine visitors. Refused."

This is what I submitted then:

Limited travel history - We went to Venezuela in 2016 for 10 days and Cancun for our honeymoon for 5 days but I did not know that Mex and Ven did not count for travel history - Mistake #1.

Limited proof of funds - I submitted her letter of employment and a letter from me saying I was paying for their trip (Big mistake #2) - I submitted MY bank statement and credit card statement showing $15K USD in credit, but forgot to include her bank information which has about the same balance (Mistake #3).

Family ties in home country - I Forgot to include the home loan information (Mistake #4) and our oldest son - 17 yo - at the time was traveling in the USA but is now back with us (He will stay in Colombia to finish school and start college while we travel in the summer) - (It sure sounds like the official documented, the whole family wants out of the country - Mistake #4) - I also forgot to include my kid's school enrolment letter.

The generic Purpose of trip refusal - For this, I mentioned that we were just going to visit cities for 15 days, which now I know was mistake #5. When my TR was approved, the purpose of my visit was to attend the SalsaFest in Toronto and I was approved. I feel that I need to include something like this with their next application.

--

So, a couple of questions and action plan.

1 - What is "no USNIV" on the notes? We were denied a U.S.A visa in 2018, which I stated on their application. Do we need a USA visa to reapply for their TR visas? We have two US visa refusals.

2 - To overcome both, the limited travel history and the USA visa refusal, which it was with the purpose of visiting Disneyland and Orlando, FL with my 10 yo, we are all traveling to Spain and then Paris to visit Disneyland Paris in June 2019. - We will probably include this on the cover letter. Any other ideas to address the limited travel history?

3 - Besides showing and explaining that we have our current residency in Bogota, and to include that our other son is back from the states and will remain in Bogota, is there any other document you recommend that will show family ties to Colombia?

4 - Can I use the same Toronto Salsafest as our purpose of the trip this time again?

5 - We are thinking about reapplying in August 2019 after our trip to Europe. Is that reasonable amount of time, or should we wait a bit more?

6 - I submitted all their documents in Spanish. Do you think we should get them translated to English? Looks like the official that denied their visa is stationed in Bogota - Updated and Created GCSM notes are from an official with initials "BG"

Thank you all for your reading this long post and for sharing your feedback.

 

[Bryanna]

Hello Senior members and forum community.

I have been reading this forum for quite some time but was waiting for the right moment to post my questions and to ask for help.

As the title indicates, my wife and son (10 yo) were refused a TR visa for all of us to go to Canada during the summer. I currently have a valid TR visa and visited Canada in 2018 for 2 weeks - Lovely country. I wanted to take my family and show them all the cool cities I visited and do the touristy things during the summer of 2019.

I am sorry for the long story, get that popcorn ready...

Without much hesitation, I applied for their TRs in January 2019 in Bogota, Colombia where we reside. By the time I submitted their applications I was not reading this page actively and made crucial mistakes with their paperwork. I did not submit all files that could have helped out their application and was not aware of all their internal checks and visa requirements they want to approve a TRV.

I recently requested the GCSM notes to get more information regarding their refusals and as expected, the notes correlated to what the generic refusal email indicated.

"PA's and 10 yo son, limited travel history, no USNIV. With whole family traveling, few ties to home country. Limited proof of funds submitted, not satisfied that they are sufficiently established in home country. Not satisfied that they are genuine visitors. Refused."

This is what I submitted then:

Limited travel history - We went to Venezuela in 2016 for 10 days and Cancun for our honeymoon for 5 days but I did not know that Mex and Ven did not count for travel history - Mistake #1.

Limited proof of funds - I submitted her letter of employment and a letter from me saying I was paying for their trip (Big mistake #2) - I submitted MY bank statement and credit card statement showing $15K USD in credit, but forgot to include her bank information which has about the same balance (Mistake #3).

Family ties in home country - I Forgot to include the home loan information (Mistake #4) and our oldest son - 17 yo - at the time was traveling in the USA but is now back with us (He will stay in Colombia to finish school and start college while we travel in the summer) - (It sure sounds like the official documented, the whole family wants out of the country - Mistake #4) - I also forgot to include my kid's school enrolment letter.

The generic Purpose of trip refusal - For this, I mentioned that we were just going to visit cities for 15 days, which now I know was mistake #5. When my TR was approved, the purpose of my visit was to attend the SalsaFest in Toronto and I was approved. I feel that I need to include something like this with their next application.

--

So, a couple of questions and action plan.

1 - What is "no USNIV" on the notes? We were denied a U.S.A visa in 2018, which I stated on their application. Do we need a USA visa to reapply for their TR visas? We have two US visa refusals.

USNIV = US Non-Immigrant Visa

No, you don't need to have US visas to be eligible for a Canada TRV.

Also, with two US visa refusals + one Canada visa refusal, things will only get much more difficult the next time they apply. It might seem like they are trying too hard especially as they don't have strong ties to Colombia, nor previous travel history + no convincing reason to visit Canada.

2 - To overcome both, the limited travel history and the USA visa refusal, which it was with the purpose of visiting Disneyland and Orlando, FL with my 10 yo, we are all traveling to Spain and then Paris to visit Disneyland Paris in June 2019. - We will probably include this on the cover letter. Any other ideas to address the limited travel history?

When they reapply, your financial situation must be able to satisfactorily prove that you can afford these visits to multiple countries.... and still have the finances to pay for the Canada visit.

Also, even if you do travel to Spain and Paris, it might seem like you're trying to hard with the ultimate objective being to get Canada TRV approvals.

3 - Besides showing and explaining that we have our current residency in Bogota, and to include that our other son is back from the states and will remain in Bogota, is there any other document you recommend that will show family ties to Colombia?

1. What is your immigration status in Colombia?

2. Do you live with other dependent family members?

3. You must re-evaluate their applications as a complete package and not for the stated refusal reasons.

4 - Can I use the same Toronto Salsafest as our purpose of the trip this time again?

It won't sound imaginative as you had stated the same reason for your application.

Do work out a detailed day-by-day visit plan with expense estimates. You must prove you can afford this visit plan + airfare for three persons.

5 - We are thinking about reapplying in August 2019 after our trip to Europe. Is that reasonable amount of time, or should we wait a bit more?

Quite honestly, with a total of 3 visa refusals (US-Canada) + no family in Canada, it would seem unusual that your family wants to visit.

6 - I submitted all their documents in Spanish. Do you think we should get them translated to English? Looks like the official that denied their visa is stationed in Bogota - Updated and Created GCSM notes are from an official with initials "BG"

Yes, all documents must be in English or translated into English by a certified translator

 

[Hereforadvice]

Hi @Bryanna - I was hoping you would reply. Thanks for taking the time of your day to read my post and provide feedback.

Good to know that the U.S visa is not a requirement. I agree with you, two visa refusals to the USA and one to Canada is a heavy burden.

1 - We are all Colombian citizens.
2 - We do! My mother-in-law lives with us, so does our other 17-year-old son. They both will remain in Colombia during our potential trip to Canada.
3 - For the financial situation we both have steady incomes and we will submit her bank accounts this time around, as well as mine.
3 - The Salsafest is in the summer and we will be in Europe. I guess the question was related more towards the purpose of the trip instead of just saying "sightseeing". Should we state something equivalent to a Summerfest, perhaps the Winter Festival of Lights, or Winterlude?
4 - Do you feel that after our trip to Europe, we get all the documents together with solid plans and better documentation that they may have a chance of being approved?

Thanks again for your help.

PS: sent you a private message.

 

[Bryanna]

Hi @Bryanna - I was hoping you would reply. Thanks for taking the time of your day to read my post and provide feedback.

Good to know that the U.S visa is not a requirement. I agree with you, two visa refusals to the USA and one to Canada is a heavy burden.

1 - We are all Colombian citizens.
2 - We do! My mother-in-law lives with us, so does our other 17-year-old son. They both will remain in Colombia during our potential trip to Canada.
3 - For the financial situation we both have steady incomes and we will submit her bank accounts this time around, as well as mine.
3 - The Salsafest is in the summer and we will be in Europe. I guess the question was related more towards the purpose of the trip instead of just saying "sightseeing". Should we state something equivalent to a Summerfest, perhaps the Winter Festival of Lights, or Winterlude?
4 - Do you feel that after our trip to Europe, we get all the documents together with solid plans and better documentation that they may have a chance of being approved?

Thanks again for your help.

PS: sent you a private message.

1. Do post the list of documents for each applicant.

2. Do you have any compelling reasons to return to Colombia after your visit? Or maybe it is too early for this

3. Truly sorry. I am not regular/I don't get the time to go through the messages in my inbox

 

[Hereforadvice]

1. Do post the list of documents for each applicant.

I will collect a list of all documents before applying and will update this post for you guys to provide feedback.

2. Do you have any compelling reasons to return to Colombia after your visit? Or maybe it is too early for this

Maybe too early for this, but I am sure we have several important things to return to, like my youngest returning to school after the trip, work projects, etc.

. Truly sorry. I am not regular/I don't get the time to go through the messages in my inbox

I completely understand. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us, you are extremely helpful.