International Student in USA applying for Canadian Visitor Visa

[CogInTheWheel]

Hey guys,

I'm so relieved I found this forum since the online application has been very confusing and I don't know whom to consult.
I'm an Indian citizen and have been an international student on F1 visa in Rochester NY since August 2015. Since I'm right across Canada border, I would like to visit Canada and meet a friend of mine too. Right now I'm in India for the summer and thought I would apply for the Canada visitor visa here and started the online application, but I'm having a lot of trouble. To start off, I would like to know what to answer to the following question. The rest of the application questions change based on that:

Current country of residence?

Is it USA or India?
Is it advisable for me to apply for the visitor visa in India as I am planning on doing right now or should I do it in USA?
Please let me know any other tips I need to know or things to take care of while applying. Thanks in advance!

 

[Bryanna]

Hi,

Current country of residence?

Is it USA or India?

If you are applying from India then country of residence is India.
If you're applying from the US then country of residence is US...... because you have legal status in both countries.

Is it advisable for me to apply for the visitor visa in India as I am planning on doing right now or should I do it in USA?

It's better if you apply when you're in India as your ties to India will be stronger.

Do see if the processing time estimates on the CIC website matches your travel plans. You shouldn't be caught in a situation where you need your passport to return to the US but it is with the visa office.


You must prove you have a genuine purpose of visit + sufficient funds + strong ties to India and the US + no plans on remaining long-term in Canada.

Do go through the TRV Document Checklist for India + this forum for suggestions on how to make your application strong.... and then you can post specific questions


Cheers

 

[CogInTheWheel]

If you are applying from India then country of residence is India.
If you're applying from the US then country of residence is US...... because you have legal status in both countries.

Hi Bryanna,

Thank you so much for your reply, but am I still not a resident of US even though I'm applying in India? I haven't been in India for 182 days (6 months) this year to be considered a resident.