Ethiopian coming to Canada to visit?! A few questions I can't find answers to!!

[BrookJ]

Hey all!!
I am born Canadian citizen and I am TRYING to get my boyfriend from Ethiopia to visit for two weeks. Here are my unanswered questions..

1) We have sent off the application via online and it's been a month now.. it says the processing time is 10days.. is that normal?!

2) Once he is accepted and we send his passport off to get stamped, will they give me the date I stated in the letter of invitation, etc, As his date of arrival? Or will I get some other random date? I just want to know when to book my freaking plane ticket and what date for!!

3) Is it safe to also book him a plane ticket home before he goes through immigration when arriving into Canada? I heard through the grapevine that once he is going through immigration that an officer decides how long he can stay. But we only plan for him to be here for two weeks, he shouldn't be denied less then that correct?

4) We only have a month left of the date I requested to the embassy and he is still not accepted... can I change those dates seeing as I don't think I will now have enough time?? It is impossible to get ahold of the embassy through the phone number.. is there another way?

Thanks so much for any input

 

[bellaluna]

1. It's normal, processing times are an estimate for 80% of the applications, so looks like your BF is in the 20%.

2. The visa, when stamped, will be valid immediately. I believe the minimum possible validity is a 3-month single-entry visa, if not 6 months.

3. Sure, it's more than safe to book a return flight if he intends to stay for 2 weeks. But book only after he gets the visa.

4. Again, they'll give you the visa validity regardless of any dates you requested. People on this forum have missed weddings and graduations because CIC takes their own time, not the applicant's requests. The way to reach them is through a case specific enquiry online, but you don't need to do so if you're intending a date change. Also note that sending a CSE won't speed up the application in any way.