Visitor Visa Refused

[trvguy7]

Hi,
I applied for a visitor visa for my sister a few months ago and it was refused. I live in Canada with my wife and son and we are all Canadian citizens. I wanted to bring my sister in Canada for a Cataract surgery. I showed a purpose of visit such as a doctor's note from India, appointment in Canada. A flight ticket. A date for the surgery in Canada. My sister has very good financial situation in India (>$30000 CAN - not transferred from me or any other place, its the money she earned from job over the years) and I also have good financial situation in Canada.
But the reason for rejection given was:
- Your travel history,
- Family ties in Canada and India (Seriously? - like i proved i m her brother in Canada cause we had same father's name)
- Purpose of Visit (Clearly showed the dates and a letter from a doctor in Canada saying that she is coming here for surgery)
- I am not satisfied that you have sufficient funds, including income or assets, to carry out your stated
purpose in going to Canada or to maintain yourself while in Canada and to effect your departure. (this makes sense because i know surgery costs for international visitors would be high but then what would be the purpose of visit?)

Any ideas for reapplication?

 

[vermanaman]

There a number of factors involved here. I am making the following guesses ( as i do not know the details of documents submitted) -

1. Travel History - Major issue - Has she traveled anywhere outside india?

2. Family ties - You proved you are her brother - which actually shows that she has strong ties to Canada and hence may not return to India. You need to show stronger ties in India...like housing ownership/ rental agreements + employment letter of current job + vacation letter for surgery + other ties in India ( parents/other siblings/spouse etc).

3. Purpose - Letter from doctor in canada is good...but the question arises - Why cataract surgery in Canada? Why not in India itself? Are there any complications that require Canadian doctors/technology?
The doctor in India must write this in his/her letter with complete details as to why she needs north american medical help. This must be supported by a detailed letter from the doctor in Canada. Also mention the cost of treatment including complications.

4. Funds - Cost is related to this. She has 30K CAD...surgery and if any hospital stay due to complications can easily take the cost to 50-100K CAD....So that is why you need a letter stating the cost of treatment and how your sister is planning to pay for it.

How long did she say she is going to visit canada for? And how long does the recovery take from surgery before she can travel again?

 

[trvguy7]

Thanks a lot Vermanaman. Great detail. Helped a lot. I did show her strong ties in India cause our immigration guy guided us to show strong ties in Canada which is now clear why that is wrong. The part that sucks is that she hasn't traveled outside India. I did show employment letter, vacation letter etc.
the letter from doctor didn't mention the costs or the need of Canadian doctors for the treatment.
But that's for great detail. i will watch out for these.

 

[AnnieGao2013]

@Vermanaman, I am applying visitor visa online, each section can only provide a pdf file or doc file, in which section should I include the relevant documents of family ties proofs? In "Optional Documents" section? Can you please advise? Thank you.

 

[AnnieGao2013]

There a number of factors involved here. I am making the following guesses ( as i do not know the details of documents submitted) -

1. Travel History - Major issue - Has she traveled anywhere outside india?

2. Family ties - You proved you are her brother - which actually shows that she has strong ties to Canada and hence may not return to India. You need to show stronger ties in India...like housing ownership/ rental agreements + employment letter of current job + vacation letter for surgery + other ties in India ( parents/other siblings/spouse etc).

3. Purpose - Letter from doctor in canada is good...but the question arises - Why cataract surgery in Canada? Why not in India itself? Are there any complications that require Canadian doctors/technology?
The doctor in India must write this in his/her letter with complete details as to why she needs north american medical help. This must be supported by a detailed letter from the doctor in Canada. Also mention the cost of treatment including complications.

4. Funds - Cost is related to this. She has 30K CAD...surgery and if any hospital stay due to complications can easily take the cost to 50-100K CAD....So that is why you need a letter stating the cost of treatment and how your sister is planning to pay for it.

How long did she say she is going to visit canada for? And how long does the recovery take from surgery before she can travel again?

@Vermanaman, I am applying visitor visa online, each section can only provide a pdf file or doc file, in which section should I include the relevant documents of family ties proofs? In "Optional Documents" section? Can you please advise? Thank you.

 

[trvguy7]

Hey,
I applied online too. What I did was that I made a huge pdf file for each section. So like for family ties proof such as certificate showing same father's name, etc. in one pdf. i dont remember which section i put it. I logged in my old file to see the sections but I can't see the section names anymore. Can you tell me what sections there are and then i will tell you what I put in each section? as I remember what I put where but not the exact names of the sections.
Also, my advice apply in person, online is not that good.

 

[MissA]

These consular officers and family tie ---so if her brother is there she must remain there too? :-X
Do they ever assume people have other business than tagging round with family?
I rest my case

 

[preetykaur7]

My name is Gurpreet Kaur Notay and i am from Uganda. We applied for Visas to Canada last year in July online for my cousins wedding but got rejected as we did not satisfy the following.

1. You have not satisfied me that you would leave Canada at the end of your stay as a temporary resident. In reaching this decision, I considered several factors, including:

2. Your travel history

3. Your family ties in Canada and in your country of residence

4. Purpose of visit

5. Your personal assets and financial status

6. I am not satisfied that you have sufficient funds, including income or assets, to carry out your stated purpose in going to Canada or to maintain yourself while in Canada and to effect your departure.

We want to apply again through paper this time with IOM here in Uganda for family visitors visa. I want your help in checking for me if the forms have been filled properly and also if any other additional documents might be required that i have not included please let me know.

The following are the documents that i have prepared.
o Consent Form
o Form 5257E
o Form 5257 (Schedule 1) Attached Complete Travel History (Please check)
o Form 5645 (Family Information)
o Bank Statements
o Birth Certificate
o Vaccination Card
o Passport
o Passport Photos (02)
o Marriage Certificate
o Bank Statements (Both companies)
o Memorandum & Articles of Association (Both companies)
o Certificate of Incorporation (Both companies)
o Trade License (Both companies)
o TAX & VAT (Both companies)
o Form 7 (Both companies)
o Form 9 (Both companies)
o Financial Statements (Both companies)
o Income Tax Returns (Both companies)
o 104/106 Land title
o 789-794 Land title
o UBL Tenancy Agreement
o Sale Agreement H3
o Tenancy Agreement H3
o Sale Agreement E7
o Tenancy Agreement E7
o 2661, 2541, 2660 Land titles
o Vehicle log books

Kindly let me know what i am missing.

 

[MissA]

Wow...some long document list I must say ...they want us to bare all our lives before them to get visas issued?

 

[SenoritaBella]

@preetykaur,

I think it's better to address the issues raised by the officer last time in order to increase your chances of approval:

when you say "family visa", how many of you are travelling?

1. travel history - have you traveled recently to other countries that need a visa and returned on time?

2. family ties in Canada and in country of residence - because you have family in Canada, they assumed you have a stronger pull factor to remain in Canada. Also, they think you may not have strong ties in your country of residence and can easily resettle in Canada, especially because you want to travel as a family.
a) you may have better luck applying alone (not as a family).
b) do you have steady long term employment in your country of residence? Did you submit a recently signed letter of employment and leave of absence from your employer? Do you own properties or lease a house there and did you submit proof?

3. Purpose of visit - how long were you going to stay for? If you were coming to attend a wedding, did you include the wedding invitation, a notarized invitation letter from your cousin, and an itinerary of how you plan to spend your time in Canada? The wedding is just one day, but what will you do for the rest of the time? Will you visit museums, take tours, travel, go shopping, etc? If yes, include an itinerary and proof(receipts).

4. personal assets and financial status - did your cousin also submit proof of funds (e.g. tax documents, recent payslip, and attest to provide financial support)? Where do you plan to stay? With your cousin or hotel? If hotel, you will need significantly more money especially if you will stay long. Look up(google) the average price of a hotel per night for your family size in the city you plan to visit and multiply by the number of nights; also factor in 3 meals daily for each person, plus extra funds for outings, shopping, sightseeing, etc to get an approximation.

5. see #4 above. They were concerned you didn't have enough funds and may work illegally to support yourself and family.

Lastly, did you submit proof that you are in fact cousins? I know this is not on the checklist, but it's important. You and your cousin may want to submit birth certificates of your parents to show they are siblings, as well as your own birth certificates to establish you are cousins. Otherwise, CIC is left with taking your word for it and they have no reason to do so. Also include your marriage certificate and children's birth certificates (if you apply as a family).