Marriage certificate - Buku Nikah (Indonesia)

[TimS85]

Yeah...the TRV can be a pain to get, especially if you have already submitted the PR application. We made sure she had a fairly significant travel history to other places (Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand) that provided a history of not overstaying her visa's before we applied to Canada. The other things that I feel made it easier was my being a non-resident Canadian and she was enrolled in University during most of the time in Indonesia. It's those ties to the home country they look for (AKA: Please get out when you finish visiting).

My personal advice....Don't overthink the application! I was at the point where if I kept thinking of possible problems or potential issues, we never would have submitted the damned thing. Be prepared for any reasonable problem that might come up. Expect an interview and rehearse the questions. English wasn't her first language, so there was a lot of subtle questions we prepared for in advance, just in case. All you can do is provide the information they request, tell the truth and be a genuine as possible if they request more information. Just be prepared. In all likelihood, there won't be any issues.

My wife actually enrolled in college here and then applied for a study permit which my parents offered financial support to pay tuition and living expenses. They denied it for the same reason they often deny visitor visa... Haven't convinced me you'll leave Canada after your stay etc. Finding work in Indonesia is one of the factors of why I can't live with her there until our application is processed.

The interview process is exactly what I am desperate to avoid after having read people are on 24 month waiting list for interviews with the Singapore VO.

 

[TimS85]

I'm Canadian but of Indonesian background so this thread caught my eye. Agree with Buletruck's advice not to worry too much. Everyone's situation is different and most people probably have one red flag or another. If your relationship is genuine and you submit adequate proof, the chance of a refusal is relatively low. Despite 4 attempts over 3 years, my husband was never able to get a TRV to visit me in Canada. In order for him to meet my family before the wedding, we actually all travelled to Indonesia (btw he loved it there and loves Indonesian food!) The first day he set foot in Canada was the day he landed as a PR.

Yeah everyone's situation is different, I just know we have a few flags.. Our relationship is definitely genuine, it's avoiding the interview and subsequent waiting time I want.

Btw how could he not love Indonesia?!! I absolutely love Indonesia, it's food, it's culture, it's weather etc etc. And I'm super pumped to go back next month!

 

[faisalmohamed]

I appreciate it! Did you have minimal red flags? I have what I guess CIC will consider a few. We married on my second visit and we were together for 10 months when we married. My parents didn't attend. She's 9 years younger than me. Neither of us think religion is overly important but I converted for the wedding. I did my best to explain all of these things but knowing Singapore is a difficult VO makes me weary.

To be honest, ANY little thing can be considered a red flag. All it takes is for someone to be having a bad day at work and well what do you know, you're on an interviewers wait list!

For us though our red flags were minimal. Age difference yes, but it wasn't large enough to be considered a red flag (about 4 years). Religion was the same, visited twice and she visited me while I was studying abroad. Had a lot of wedding photos and we have a bunch of photos of us together. We were married for a little over 4 months when we submitted our completed application, we had all the documents they had requested. Seems like our red flags are minimal.

The Singapore VO isn't necessarily a hard VO to deal with. It's just the wait times, but also note they handle applications for something like 10 or 11 countries. The interview is what you would need to worry most about, if you do get requested to do an interview, it can add anywhere from 6 months to over a year to your application process due to the wait time. Other than that, it's pretty much the same with the other VO's.

Hope it helps!

 

[faisalmohamed]

My wife actually enrolled in college here and then applied for a study permit which my parents offered financial support to pay tuition and living expenses. They denied it for the same reason they often deny visitor visa... Haven't convinced me you'll leave Canada after your stay etc. Finding work in Indonesia is one of the factors of why I can't live with her there until our application is processed.

The interview process is exactly what I am desperate to avoid after having read people are on 24 month waiting list for interviews with the Singapore VO.

Pretty much this.

If you have any relatives in Canada and you apply for TRV there is a very good chance it will get denied. They also take into consideration the demographics, a "single" female who is 20 years old and does not have much travel in Western Europe or North America will most likely be denied a TRV too.

 

[TimS85]

To be honest, ANY little thing can be considered a red flag. All it takes is for someone to be having a bad day at work and well what do you know, you're on an interviewers wait list!

For us though our red flags were minimal. Age difference yes, but it wasn't large enough to be considered a red flag (about 4 years). Religion was the same, visited twice and she visited me while I was studying abroad. Had a lot of wedding photos and we have a bunch of photos of us together. We were married for a little over 4 months when we submitted our completed application, we had all the documents they had requested. Seems like our red flags are minimal.

The Singapore VO isn't necessarily a hard VO to deal with. It's just the wait times, but also note they handle applications for something like 10 or 11 countries. The interview is what you would need to worry most about, if you do get requested to do an interview, it can add anywhere from 6 months to over a year to your application process due to the wait time. Other than that, it's pretty much the same with the other VO's.

Hope it helps!

I've visited twice and going a third time next month, religion is the same but I converted for the legal requirements and she doesn't actually practice.. Flags I'm concerned about most is the length of relationship to marriage.. 10 months, and my family not attending the wedding, the 9 year age gap, and the fact that I met her soon after my common law relationship with my ex ended.

 

[faisalmohamed]

Oh don't worry too much about your parents not attending. Mine didn't either. I mean unless you happen to be quite wealthy and have the ability to get all of the stars to align so that no one is busy during the time of the wedding, CIC will let that one slide.

Length of relationship to marriage isn't so much of an issue as well. They see it all the time too. Your biggest red flag though would be the previous relationship as you've mentioned. They might have a few questions for you about that but let's hope not!

 

[TimS85]

Oh don't worry too much about your parents not attending. Mine didn't either. I mean unless you happen to be quite wealthy and have the ability to get all of the stars to align so that no one is busy during the time of the wedding, CIC will let that one slide.

Length of relationship to marriage isn't so much of an issue as well. They see it all the time too. Your biggest red flag though would be the previous relationship as you've mentioned. They might have a few questions for you about that but let's hope not!

I explained that my ex and I split amicably and that emotionally our relationship was over far before the time we actually moved out. I explained that we are still friends but both realize we aren't the right person for each other romantically. We also share a child together and I explained that we settled outside court and share custody. I also demonstrated that my wife is involved with my daughter and that my daughter enjoys talking to my wife and I explained that my wife is totally aware of the timeline and situation with my ex. My ex actually even wrote me a letter stating she believes my marriage to be genuine and that our daughter talks about my wife to her. Hope it suffices.