Hello all, long story short I would like my Venezuelan friend to visit me in Canada, and there are a lot of things I am not sure on and would like to check before we submit an application.
First of all, there is a currency issue, as Venezuela's Bolivare is in a truly dire state, and to use the legal exchange rate would render it totally worthless, however absolutely no one at all in Venezuela uses the "legal" rate and the black market is the actual, de facto rate which is used to exchange currency. Would a VO use the legal rate or have enough of an understanding to know how to approach this fairly?
I would be funding her stay here, would be contributing towards the flight and would host her the entire time. I am a dual Canadian/British citizen who is in steady employment and am quite able to support her while she was here; would she still need to have a certain amount of funding not to look dubious, or would it be acceptable to rely on me? The reason for relying on me is simply that my currency is worth more and $1000 to me has nowhere near the same impact as it does them, which I am aware is not going to help the VO's outlook, but I figure being honest about it is the best solution.
What is the best way to emphasise her ties to Venezuela to satisfy a VO that she would return at the end of her stay? Her work is freelance, so a little harder to prove than a "regular" job. She shares an apartment with her sister and is responsible for the bills and food etc, which I would not know how to prove. A very large majority of her family still resides in Venezuela, though some have emigrated to the USA, which she has visited several times. She does not have extensive travel history at all, and has never resided anywhere else.
We would be looking at her coming to stay for about three months ideally, but are quite flexible on that. Of course it would eventually be wonderful to find an employment aspect, but for now she would just like to see the country and spend some time together, which is something I planned on leaving out (that there were more permanent prospects). My concerns lie in Venezuela mostly, it has not been a very trustworthy nation in the last well, 60 years or so, and there is very obvious "cause" to not want to return, for the same reasons that I am not comfortable visiting her there (rampant crime mostly and general commodity shortages). I can see quite easily how this could be dismissed quite easily by a VO, so if anyone has any advice, guidance or recommendations I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you.
First of all, there is a currency issue, as Venezuela's Bolivare is in a truly dire state, and to use the legal exchange rate would render it totally worthless, however absolutely no one at all in Venezuela uses the "legal" rate and the black market is the actual, de facto rate which is used to exchange currency. Would a VO use the legal rate or have enough of an understanding to know how to approach this fairly?
I would be funding her stay here, would be contributing towards the flight and would host her the entire time. I am a dual Canadian/British citizen who is in steady employment and am quite able to support her while she was here; would she still need to have a certain amount of funding not to look dubious, or would it be acceptable to rely on me? The reason for relying on me is simply that my currency is worth more and $1000 to me has nowhere near the same impact as it does them, which I am aware is not going to help the VO's outlook, but I figure being honest about it is the best solution.
What is the best way to emphasise her ties to Venezuela to satisfy a VO that she would return at the end of her stay? Her work is freelance, so a little harder to prove than a "regular" job. She shares an apartment with her sister and is responsible for the bills and food etc, which I would not know how to prove. A very large majority of her family still resides in Venezuela, though some have emigrated to the USA, which she has visited several times. She does not have extensive travel history at all, and has never resided anywhere else.
We would be looking at her coming to stay for about three months ideally, but are quite flexible on that. Of course it would eventually be wonderful to find an employment aspect, but for now she would just like to see the country and spend some time together, which is something I planned on leaving out (that there were more permanent prospects). My concerns lie in Venezuela mostly, it has not been a very trustworthy nation in the last well, 60 years or so, and there is very obvious "cause" to not want to return, for the same reasons that I am not comfortable visiting her there (rampant crime mostly and general commodity shortages). I can see quite easily how this could be dismissed quite easily by a VO, so if anyone has any advice, guidance or recommendations I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you.