I will try and give you the highlights to provide some context, and then I ask your opinion on best next steps please.
A few weeks ago, while in Ukraine, I got engaged to an amazing woman and the love of my life. The feelings are reciprocal on her part as well. Naturally, we want to be together as soon as possible, and ultimately, permanently in Canada. My profession does not afford me, both financially and and time-wise, the luxury of making numerous visits to Ukraine in the span of 12 - 18 months, so my fiancée and I need to be prudent in our decision making with regard to her visa application and ultimately, her PR application.
We are in no immediate rush to get married, but have discussed that ideally we will be married within 12 - 18 months (I am 44 and she is 35, and we want to start a family). She wants to spend time with me in Canada before we get married, if the CIC will grant her a TRV. What is the best way to apply for her TRV? Should I declare in my letter of invitation that she is my fiancée, or just identify her as a friend and hope the CIC doesn't presume an intimate relationship (which I believe to be highly unlikely)? Should she indicate in her application that she will take care of some or most of her expenses while in Canada, even if I am going to send her the money to cover the expenses, or is it OK to indicate I will take care of her needs while in Canada? Or, would it even be better if I could find a female friend to invite her to Canada? Does she increase her chances of receiving a TRV if she declares that her intended visit to Canada will be a shorter period than the 6 months permitted (say 1, 2, or 3 months)?
Furthermore, once she's here, should we quickly and quietly get married in Canada (if that's even legal and recognized in both Ukraine and Canada), and then make an inland PR application (along with an OWP), taking advantage of implied status? If we don't get married within the first 6 months of her visa, or within the CIC allotted period of her TRV, what are the odds of her receiving an extension to her TRV? And, please correct me if I am wrong, but I presume I need to purchase her a "throwaway ticket", so as to convince the CIC of her intention to return to Ukraine. Also, what happens with regard to her passport and applications to CIC, considering the fact that her surname will change to mine when we get married?
I honestly see getting married in Canada and applying inland for PR as the best option for us to remain together (provided she is approved in the first place for a TRV), and I am aware that it may take a little longer to be processed than an outland application and that there is no appeal process (should she be declined), and that she must remain in Canada while her application is being processed, but for some reason, this option seems less risky to me, and perhaps it's a misguided sense that if she's here with me, I can "make it all better", or at the very least, that we go through it together and we are there to support one another.
Or, would you recommend we get married in Ukraine and then we apply outland for her PR? The way I see it is that this option keeps us apart the longest amount of time, and it could prove to be more costly if interviews are required and I must travel to Ukraine (with my son sometimes). Much as I would like for her to marry me in her country in front of her family and friends, I have heard that marrying in Ukraine can be a long and tedious process, with much paperwork, unexpected delays, as well as prescribed and lengthy bureaucratic waiting periods for the civil marriage ceremony.