Letter of Invitation sample, is it convincing?

[S_and_C]

Hi,

I am currently working on a TRV application for my wife to visit me from the Philippines. I have found a few threads on here (mikeymyke's comes to mind) who posted very detailed and helpful examples of their TRV Letter of Invitation. So I wanted to post mine and see if anyone has any opinions on whether it might be good enough to "convince" a visa officer to issue a visa. Please excuse the formatting as I'm pasting it here as text... Thanks in advance for any replies...

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To Citizenship and Immigration Canada:

This is a Letter of Invitation for my wife, XXXXX, to visit me, XXXXX, at my home in XXXXX Canada.

Visitor Information:
Full Name: XXXXX (maiden name: XXXXX)
Date of Birth: XXXXX
Address: XXXXX
Telephone: XXXXX
E-mail: XXXXX
Relationship to me: Spouse (please see attached Marriage Certificate)
Purpose of Travel: To spend quality time with me and my kids, visit my parents and brothers, gain exposure to Canadian culture, and see different tourist attractions in the Ottawa area (please see attached Purpose of Travel letter for details).
Length of Stay: 4 weeks (July 10 - August 10, 2016, please see attached travel itinerary)
Travel / Accom: I will be covering all expenses including plane tickets, travel insurance, food and accommodations. XXXXX will be staying at my home at XXXXX and my parent’s house at XXXXX

My Information:
Full Name: XXXXX
Date of Birth: XXXXX
Address: XXXXX
Telephone: XXXXX
E-mail: XXXXX
Job Title: XXXXX
Citizenship: Canadian Citizen
Household Info: Total number of people in the household, including myself: 3
Dependent: XXXXX (son, 12 years old). Date of Birth: XXXXX
Dependent: XXXXX (daughter, 6 years old). Date of Birth: XXXXX

I respectfully ask that you consider approving a multiple entry Visitor Visa for my wife XXXXX for the following reasons...

XXXXX and I met online on December 7, 2014 and we have been in a long distance relationship for approximately 1 year and 6 months. I have been to the Philippines 3 times to visit her (Trip 1: March 21-28, 2015, Trip 2: Nov 27-Dec 4,2015, Trip 3: April 1-15, 2016). During my last visit we got married in Quezon City on April 7, 2016. XXXXX intends to immigrate to Canada to live with me and my kids, so we have recently submitted our permanent residence application on June 11, 2016 (UCI: XXXXX - TBD as we haven't received AOR yet).

I am currently living as a single parent with 2 young kids (from a previous marriage) and working full time, so it is difficult for me to travel to the Philippines for long periods to spend time with my wife. During these short visits I have to arrange care for my kids while I’m away, so I usually ask my Mom to fly here from XXXXX to stay with them. I have full custody of my kids and my ex-wife is not very active in their lives, so my kids miss me when I’m gone. I can take them with me on these trips, however it becomes very expensive and can disrupt their schooling unless we travel during the summer months. XXXXX has applied for 2 Visitor Visas in the past prior to us being married, but was refused in both cases (please see attached refusal letters, UCI: XXXXX), so thus far she has been prevented from being able to visit me. It is much more practical and economical for my wife to visit me here in Canada, and it is easier on my kids when I can stay home.

XXXXX has lived in the Philippines her entire life. She has worked as a XXXXX at XXXXX for the past 3 years, earning approximately XXXXX pesos per year. She resides in the same house with her father (XXXXX), one brother (XXXXX) and one sister (XXXXX). She also has 2 other brothers; one who has his own family that lives in the same housing compound (XXXXX) and one brother who currently works abroad in XXXXX (XXXXX). While her brothers and father are also working, she makes the most income so they depend on her for most of the family finances which is common occurrence in Filipino culture. XXXXX’s sister XXXXX just finished her teaching degree, but is currently unemployed so she is being supported by the family. XXXXX’s long term plans are to work here in XXXXX once she gets her permanent residence, but until then she still needs to keep her teaching job and salary to support her family. Additionally, all of XXXXX’s family, friends and relatives reside in the Philippines, and she has no other family members or relatives in Canada, with the exception of myself. For these reasons, XXXXX’s family ties are very strong and is a compelling reason for her to return to the Philippines after her visit.

As for travel history, XXXXX has traveled within the Philippines many times, but has not yet traveled abroad. The reasons for this are mainly due to her obligations to her job and supporting her family that has kept her close to home, especially with the expenses involved. However, now that we are married and I am bearing all the expenses for this trip, it finally gives her the means to take a trip to a new country without worrying about putting her family or job at risk.

My wife and I miss each other terribly, and we want to avoid being apart for so long waiting for our permanent residence application to process (CIC website currently states 13 months for Philippines Family Sponsorship). XXXXX has no medical issues and is in good health; she has a clean police record and poses no security risk to Canada; she has strong family ties to her home country and sufficient financial assets to support her stay. Since she is my spouse, I will of course be bearing all the expenses for this trip, and XXXXX will continue to use her own income and savings to support her family members during her absence. I also have travel insurance provided through my work benefits which will cover any unexpected medical needs. Please find attached her police certificate, medical exam certificate and each of our individual bank statements as well as proof of travel insurance and itinerary.

We understand that the Visitor Visa, if approved, only allows her to visit for a limited period of time after which she must return home to the Philippines, and we do not want to jeopardize our permanent residence application by overstaying. We also understand that as a visitor she cannot work, and she must wait until her permanent residence is approved and she lands in Canada officially in order to do so.

The proposed length of stay is 4 weeks (July 10 - August 10) which coincides with summer vacation for my kids, and my own planned vacation time. Summertime is also the best time of year to visit as she will already be used to the warm temperatures, and it will allow us to do many more outdoor activities and exploration with the warmer weather. It will also give my wife the opportunity to build her relationship with my kids (beyond our daily Skype calls), and help us bond as a family. It will also help me personally to have my wife visit because being a full time single parent can be very challenging, and the benefits to my kids well-being will be invaluable.

In closing, I respectfully ask that a Visitor Visa be extended to my wife XXXXX so that she may visit me here in XXXXX. Preferably, we would like to have a multiple entry Visitor Visa so that she could visit anytime again in the future prior to her permanent residence application being approved. This would ease our minds and allow us to better control when and for how long we can visit each other until she can finally move here permanently. We hope the additional information provided here is sufficient to approve her visa and I thank you for your time.

Sincerely yours,



XXXXX

 

[Bryanna]

Hi,

A few suggestions:
1. Visitor Information: Passport details + Nationality

2. Host Information: Passport Number + Citizenship card

3. Her strong ties: Point-wise..... rather than long, run-on sentences which won't catch the visa officer's eye

4. I would edit these sentences:
"My wife and I miss each other terribly, and we want to avoid being apart for so long waiting for our permanent residence application to process " = possible intent to overstay

"It will also help me personally to have my wife visit because being a full time single parent can be very challenging, and the benefits to my kids well-being will be invaluable." = possible intent to overstay

"Preferably, we would like to have a multiple entry Visitor Visa so that she could visit anytime again in the future prior to her permanent residence application being approved. This would ease our minds and allow us to better control when and for how long we can visit each other until she can finally move here permanently. " = do not suggest this. All TRVs are automatically considered for MEs + stating *how long we can visit each other* is a no-no as it shows she will visit frequently to avoid the long processing time for her PR


5. You may want to stress on the fact that you'd like your kids/wife to interact, get to know each other as they have not met, bond together, etc etc

6. Is your wife actively looking for jobs? Does she have a job offer to go back to?

7. Does she have financial investments? A lease agreement in her name? Land ownership?

8. Can she include a must-return-reason by XX date with evidence?

9. Wherever possible, give Evidence No. references for each evidence..... and a compiled list of evidence..... so it's easy to cross-check your statements

10. Perhaps, she should wait until you are approved and her file is transferred.... in which case, she will most probably get a 1 year TRV..... but then that's good


Also, Jalex23 has given excellent suggestions in your other thread


Cheers

 

[S_and_C]

Hi Bryanna, thanks for such a detailed analysis.

1-5 are great points and I'll be integrating those tips.

6. She is not looking for a job yet as she will likely wait until she arrives here and has her PR to look for something related to teaching. She already has a good job as a teacher in the Philippines and she loves what she does for a living, so no reason to change.

7. No financial investments or land/housing. They had a motorcycle payment for a while, but that is paid off now. Their house is owned, but is in her parents names.

8. No must-return-by reasons I can think of, as the long term plan is to move here.

9. I will consider adding a list of supporting documents to the letter and try to integrate it with the reasoning...

10. There have been arguments from both sides, Jalex23 has said AOR or SA don't matter to a TRV application, whereas others have said it's important to have SA first before attempting a TRV (maybe this applies to those cases where they specifically say "we want to wait out our PR so we want a TRV in order to come sooner") so showing SA means its just a matter of time to process the PR and we can show there are no big concerns because we would include all the police/medical certs... I haven't decided yet which way is best, because I've gotten conflicting information on this point.

I'm also planning to speak to my MP again for advice and see how it's best to proceed. Thanks so much again for your suggestions.

 

[mohhef]

Hi Bryanna, thanks for such a detailed analysis.

1-5 are great points and I'll be integrating those tips.

6. She is not looking for a job yet as she will likely wait until she arrives here and has her PR to look for something related to teaching. She already has a good job as a teacher in the Philippines and she loves what she does for a living, so no reason to change.

7. No financial investments or land/housing. They had a motorcycle payment for a while, but that is paid off now. Their house is owned, but is in her parents names.

8. No must-return-by reasons I can think of, as the long term plan is to move here.

9. I will consider adding a list of supporting documents to the letter and try to integrate it with the reasoning...

10. There have been arguments from both sides, Jalex23 has said AOR or SA don't matter to a TRV application, whereas others have said it's important to have SA first before attempting a TRV (maybe this applies to those cases where they specifically say "we want to wait out our PR so we want a TRV in order to come sooner") so showing SA means its just a matter of time to process the PR and we can show there are no big concerns because we would include all the police/medical certs... I haven't decided yet which way is best, because I've gotten conflicting information on this point.

I'm also planning to speak to my MP again for advice and see how it's best to proceed. Thanks so much again for your suggestions.

was the TRV accepted ?