TRV - Expected questions at airport for a visiting family member

[Ayam93]

Facts:
- My mother got her TRV approved last month and she is visiting me in month of May

- I am a Permanent Resident for approx 5 years and my mother is from India

- Initially she planned to visit us for a month but now due to a marriage in family, she want to stay for maximum permissible time, lets say 5 months and 15 days

- She applied for her TRV stating that she will be visiting Canada in month of march for 3 weeks

- She have approx CAD 10K in her bank and will bring the money with her to Canada

I understand that most people usually get 6 months entry for TRV but I have heard few stories where visa officer limits the amount of time a person can stay so want to know what can go wrong at airport. I know my mother will be bit nervous as its her first visit to Canada and I don't want things to go wrong at airport.


Question:
- At airport if she says that she is visiting Canada for 5 months, will that be a problem ?

- She plans to visit few places in Canada and spend rest of time with her family, for this purpose will CAD 10K be sufficient amount for 5 months stay ?

- Or is it recommended that she should state her visit for 1-2 months ? Few people told me to do this. Is this even recommended ? And if yes, does the date on her return ticket need to match with her stated plan ?

- She have her money in State Bank of India, and the bank have branches in Canada. Is it fine if the money remains in the same bank account or is there a better way to prove at airport that she have easy access to the money while in Canada ?

Anything else parents visiting Canada need to be careful with answering questions at airport ?

 

[Ayam93]

Anyone ??

 

[Bryanna]

Question:
- At airport if she says that she is visiting Canada for 5 months, will that be a problem ?

Her answers must be as per her return ticket dates.

- She plans to visit few places in Canada and spend rest of time with her family, for this purpose will CAD 10K be sufficient amount for 5 months stay ?

It should be fine if you will take care of her expenses.

- Or is it recommended that she should state her visit for 1-2 months ? Few people told me to do this. Is this even recommended ? And if yes, does the date on her return ticket need to match with her stated plan ?

Best to also book tickets with fare conditions that allow for date changes/one free date change.

- She have her money in State Bank of India, and the bank have branches in Canada. Is it fine if the money remains in the same bank account or is there a better way to prove at airport that she have easy access to the money while in Canada ?

Does she plan to withdraw the money through SBI in Canada? If yes, do keep in mind that banks offer some of the lowest currency conversion rates.

She can bring Forex cards topped up for CAD. These work like debit cards and are accepted at most places. Do bring the bank statement for the source of the money in the Forex card + the purchase receipt.

Alternatively, she can purchase foreign exchange from a RBI-authorized Forex dealer (NOT the regular Forex guys). She would probably get better exchange rates + she will be given a receipt for the purchase. She needs to have her tickets booked to be able to buy from the RBI-licensed guys.

Anything else parents visiting Canada need to be careful with answering questions at airport ?

1. Does she take medicines for any medical condition? She can only bring a 90-day supply + she must have the doctor's prescription and purchase receipts for the medicine.

2. It's advisable to buy an overseas travel medical insurance policy for the dates of her visit (even if it is 5 months)

3. She would need to declare CAD 10,000 to CBSA

4. Do check the Indian customs regulations for the amount of foreign exchange she is allowed to take out of India