Our application will be at 10 months in Havana Nov 6th so I will look at applying for a visitor visa after that and following is the procedure I plan to use as it has been successful for others
What worked for us is that I showed PLENTY of TIES TO HOME and also convinced them that I will not overstay.
Here is a list of documents I submitted- It took a lot of time and energy to gather, but it's been worth it!
IMP: I applied for a travel duration of ONE MONTH. (They usually issue a 6 month visa, but best not to say you'll stay for 6 months!) It has to be long enough that it's believable, but short enough that it doesn't make them feel like you're trying to stay permanently !
Before applying for Canada Tourist Visa, I also applied (and was granted) a 10 year multiple entry visa to the U.S.
I think this carries some amount of weightage so it's probably a good idea to get a US tourist visa before applying for Canada.
My documents:
1. Income Tax Returns for last 4 years ( as many years as you have filed!)
2. As I am a freelancer, so no employer leave letter I submitted-My invoices, Contracts & Purchase orders for my work. (to prove I have ties to home)
3. Aadhar card copy
4. Drivers license copy
5. Pan card copy
6. Marriage certificate
7. PCC for all the countries I have spent more than 6 months in.
8. Visa Medical
9. Bank statements of the last 6 months
10.Car ownership papers (with ongoing loan)
11.Return flight tickets (THIS IS VERY IMP APPARENTLY- NEVER BOOK A ONE WAY TICKET, THEY'LL SURELY REJECT THE VISA)
12.My travel & employment history (same as submitted for the PR visa application)
13.My resume
14.A kick ass cover letter giving reasons why I will not overstay the Visitor Visa and why I have to return to India after my trip.
15.A letter from my dad on a stamp paper saying I will return as per my flight dates.
My husband's documents:
16. His employment letter of confirmation from the company where he works
17. Income Tax Returns filed in Canada
18. Pay stubs from the last 3 months
19. Bank Statements of last 6 months
20. PR Card copy
21. SPONSORSHIP APPROVAL LETTER (Super important)
22. Our travel together (flight tickets, hotel bookings etc)
23. Our photos together from the wedding & before & after the wedding- to establish that our marriage is real!(this is very important too, apparently, one girl told me to send that in because they rejected her visa saying there isn't enough proof of her marriage- even though she submitted her marriage certificate copy!!)
25. Our chat messages from over 1 year (same as submitted for the PR application)
26. Travel insurance that my husband bought for me (in Canada) for the duration of my trip.
27. A notarized declaration from my husband stating he will pay for my expenses & that I will not be a burden on the Canada.
28. A notarized invitation letter (addressed to VO) from my husband inviting me to visit him in Canada.
29. A hand written personal invitation from him to me asking me come and visit him (this is a personal letter, with lovey-dovey words about how much he misses me and wants to see me)
The reason why people get rejections is because they're not proving their ties to their home country.
If you can show that you have a lot of things/ people/ property/ assets that are in your home country that you won't just leave behind- they will grant you a visa.
Another thing, in my cover letter, I stated UP FRONT that I have a PR application in the system (gave my UCI etc) and said that I would never do anything to jeopardise my PR application by over staying on a Tourist Visa. I just want to visit my husband since we're newly married and I miss him.
