Applying to travel w/spouse from EU...need advice pls.

[Nomads]

My wife and I would like to travel to Canada for Easter and are applying for a temporary visitor's visa. We have been married for 1yr and 3 months, and have been together for a little over 3 years. We want to visit friends and family since many of them couldn't make our overseas wedding. Additionally, my mom has been sick and so we think it prudent to visit sooner rather than later.

My wife is Romanian and requires a visa, but we are living in Austria where she has a residence card (as do I) - and we will apply from here. She has travelled with me to a couple of countries in Africa over the last couple of years, so she has those stamps. She is not working (we are building our own business here) and we use my bank account which, alas, is not a joint account.

We have not applied for PR. We thought it best that we visit first, and that she get a sense of the country, since we also have the option of continuing our life here.

We have done lots of research, but we have received vague or contradictory information...and there are still a bunch of questions we need help with if anyone has both the time and the answers:

• Since I will be traveling with her, does she still need a letter of invitation and, if so, should it come from me, or from one of my Canadian friends and relatives with whom we will stay?
• Will her lack of work and bank account doom us? Will the fact that I am also traveling there and back, with her, help mitigate this?
• What is the difference in waiting time between online application, and application by mail (to the Vienna embassy)?
• Which application type might be better for us (both speed and likelihood)?
• If we go with the online process, will she still have to submit her original passport?
• Will that passport be processed in Vienna, or sent all the way to Canada; and if so, how long does the send/receive process take - and is that time included in the wait-time estimate?
• Do we have to buy her plane ticket in advance of the visa (or have a booked, formal itinerary) or is it enough to list our travel plans?
• Will we have to submit a copy of our marriage certificate, and will it need to be translated into English (it's from here)?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Jalex23]

• • Since I will be traveling with her, does she still need a letter of invitation and, if so, should it come from me, or from one of my Canadian friends and relatives with whom we will stay?
  • Will her lack of work and bank account doom us? Will the fact that I am also traveling there and back, with her, help mitigate this?

  Is she your dependant? If so then you have to provide evidence on how she gets money.
  

  • What is the difference in waiting time between online application, and application by mail (to the Vienna embassy)?

  Check the timelines in the CIC website and in the corresponding embassy.
  

  • Which application type might be better for us (both speed and likelihood)?

  You only qualify for TRV.
  

  • If we go with the online process, will she still have to submit her original passport?

  Yes
  

  • Will that passport be processed in Vienna, or sent all the way to Canada; and if so, how long does the send/receive process take - and is that time included in the wait-time estimate?

  There is a high probability it will get processed where you apply, but there is no guarantee on that. Applications are moved around the world as CIC sees fit. No, mailing time is not included in estimates.
  

  • Do we have to buy her plane ticket in advance of the visa (or have a booked, formal itinerary) or is it enough to list our travel plans?

  Not needed but good to have.
  

  • Will we have to submit a copy of our marriage certificate, and will it need to be translated into English (it's from here)?

  Yes a notarized translation in English or French is needed.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Nomads]

Thanks Jalex23. A couple of follow-ups...

from one of my Canadian friends and relatives with whom we will stay?

• 
  Sorry, are the highlights at the end of the sentence your response (i.e. we should get a letter from whomever we stay with in Canada, even though I am a CDN citizen)?

Is she your dependant? If so then you have to provide evidence on how she gets money.

• 
  I take money out of my bank account for all our expenses. What would 'evidence' of my support of her as a dependent look like? Letter? Banks statements?

Check the timelines in the CIC website and in the corresponding embassy.

• 
  There used to be a table that compared country-specific waiting times with online applications, but that seems to have disappeared. Now there is a drop-down menu that doesn't seem to distinguish between paper applications that are mailed in, and online applications.

You only qualify for TRV.

• 
  Sorry, I was unclear. I meant which type of application - online or mailed-on-paper - might be best. We are only applying for the TRV at this point.

Not needed but good to have.

• 
  It's a pretty big financial risk for us to buy the ticket without knowing about the visa. Any suggestions?

 

[canesmemoire]

Thanks Jalex23. A couple of follow-ups...

from one of my Canadian friends and relatives with whom we will stay?

• 
  Sorry, are the highlights at the end of the sentence your response (i.e. we should get a letter from whomever we stay with in Canada, even though I am a CDN citizen)?

If you have to clear things up before applying. Are you invited to visit Canada by friends or relatives? Or are you visiting Canada without invitation? Because it is different. If you are invited, they have to provide invitation letter together with the proof of financial to the immigration, but if you are the one visiting, invitation letter is not needed but you have to prove that you have sufficient funds to stay in Canada. Bank statement is a good evidence.


Is she your dependant? If so then you have to provide evidence on how she gets money.

• 
  I take money out of my bank account for all our expenses. What would 'evidence' of my support of her as a dependent look like? Letter? Banks statements?

Check the timelines in the CIC website and in the corresponding embassy.

• 
  There used to be a table that compared country-specific waiting times with online applications, but that seems to have disappeared. Now there is a drop-down menu that doesn't seem to distinguish between paper applications that are mailed in, and online applications.

You only qualify for TRV.

• 
  Sorry, I was unclear. I meant which type of application - online or mailed-on-paper - might be best. We are only applying for the TRV at this point.

Online or mailed application are just the same. The important thing here is that you have a completed checklist. One important document that is not submitted in your application is not a good thing. The immigration will return your application and your application fee will not be refunded. Always check your application before submitting, it may be online or mail.

Not needed but good to have.

• 
  It's a pretty big financial risk for us to buy the ticket without knowing about the visa. Any suggestions?

I think you have to wait for the result of your application before buying airline tickets just to be sure.

 

[Jalex23]

we should get a letter from whomever we stay with in Canada, even though I am a CDN citizen)?

The thing is tricky here. You are residing in a foreign country... so what is your purpose of visit? If it is to see the country for a possible immigration then your letter of invitation makes sense. If it is to visit family and friends then the letter of invitation has to come from them. Use common sense here, maybe both? Your call really.

I take money out of my bank account for all our expenses. What would 'evidence' of my support of her as a dependent look like? Letter? Banks statements?

I have no idea. You should have some sort of evidence that money has been given to her. You have to come up with the idea.

For example, some people do not have joint accounts but their wives do have an additional card for the account. This is proof she has access on demand to the funds. A bank statement showing that you withdraw on a monthly basis some money can also work. It really depends your specifics.

There used to be a table that compared country-specific waiting times with online applications, but that seems to have disappeared. Now there is a drop-down menu that doesn't seem to distinguish between paper applications that are mailed in, and online applications.

There is no distinction. You are looking at the correct information.

Sorry, I was unclear. I meant which type of application - online or mailed-on-paper - might be best. We are only applying for the TRV at this point.

As you see fit. There is no real difference.

Usually paper applications are favored by people who like to include "clarifications" on documents. It is not advised, but if your case is so complex that you need to add notes to documents sent, then do.

It's a pretty big financial risk for us to buy the ticket without knowing about the visa. Any suggestions?

Your call. Some people do take the risk to make their application stronger, some do not. There are some airfares with refundable clauses. Look for options available.

As said, it is not required and if your application is strong enough I wouldn't worry about it.