You've entirely misunderstood the first refusal reason. You being her spouse is actually the weakest part of the application. The first refusal reason means that her ties to Canada (you and the PR application) are too strong and that she has insufficient ties to her home country. To be approved for a visitor visa, you must provide proof that you have strong ties to your home country and have no plans on remaining in Canada long term. Given she has a PR application in progress and a husband who is Canadian, it doesn't take much for CIC to figure out that she is eventually interested in remaining in Canada long term and may not just intend to use her visitor visa to visit Canada (i.e. she may use it to try to move to Canada early).
The purpose of visit refusal reason means that CIC is concerned she plans to use the visitor visa to come to Canada and stay.
What proof did she provide to show her ties to her home country and what documents did she submit to support his? Proof of property ownership? Proof of employment? Proof of business ownership? Proof of school enrollment? Proof of bank accounts or other assets? Etc.
It's typically difficult to get a TRV approved when your spouse is Canadian and you have a PR application in progress since CIC knows you have plans on remaining in Canada long term. She can certainly reapply if she has strong proof of ties to her home country. Whether she will be approved is a different matter.
Hi Scylla,
Regarding the point you're making in para 1 - "Given she has a PR application in progress and a husband who is Canadian, it doesn't take much for CIC to figure out that she is eventually interested in remaining in Canada long term and may not just intend to use her visitor visa to visit Canada "
Canadian immigration laws permit dual intent right? In such a case it is okay to have applications for Temporary residence and permanent residence at the same time, right?
You're also saying it is typically difficult to get a TRV approved if the spouse is a Citizen/PR but what are the chances if the spouse is a Temporary resident? Can the spouses of Temporary residents have their Visitor visa approved more easily compared to spouses of permanent residents/Citizens? (subject to meeting all other criteria for the issuance of a visitor visa)
I see there are many posts out here that just convey one main point: if you're a Citizen or a PR, then go for Sponsorship and not a TRV but I wonder what's suggested if the spouse living in Canada is just a TRV holder. (We should also note that in case spouses of Citizens / PRs it is Sponsorship - a permanent visa Vs TRV but it case of spouses of TRV holders, it is a going to be a temporary visa in all the cases - Visitor visa / OWP)
A TRV holder's ties to Canada is weak, so is his or her spouse's ties to Canada which is not the case for spouses of Citizens / PRs.
The International Student Services department of many universities across Canada state that there are two ways for International students to bring their spouse to Canada. Option 1: apply for a Visitor visa and once the spouse is in Canada, apply for a Work permit. Option 2: Apply for a Work permit from outside Canada.
There are reasons for not going for a OWP during this challenging times. One: the processing times are higher for an OWP. Two: OWPs need medical exams mandatorily and given that these medical exams are done only by hospitals in bigger cities which are in turn more affected by Covid-19, you risk yourself and your family by travelling to such hotspots.
