I will give you as much info as I have. Do not get discouraged, yes, it is difficult, but if you don't try you have zero chance. I have applied for a TRV for my boyfriend of 1 year. We are in our 40's and both have decent jobs and own property. I love Cuba but I've already been there 3 times in the last year. So, we have tried this. Yes, it took a while to convince him.
Online application is fast once you have all the proper documents. You will need IMM 5476E, authorized representative, to apply online on her behalf.
It took about a month for him to gather all the documents and then scan and email them to me. Some need to be signed, others not. It's a slow process.
Once I had all the documents, I set up his my GCKey account and started uploading the files. Make sure you follow all the instructions on CIC website.
These are the forms/letters/etc needed for his application
1) IMM5257 - Application for Visitor Visa made outside Canada
- this is a thorough document, requiring all personal data, address, marital status, languages, passport #, contact info, details of visit to Canada, education, 10 years of employment history, background info related to health, previous TRV apps, military service etc. You can view this form online.
2) Proof of Financial Support
No form needed. You will need to write a letter outlining the submission and documents included. It is important they have documents to include. Bank statement confirming funds, certificate of title for property. We even included his pay document from his employer. I also submitted my financial info in this section as I am providing flight & accommodation (4 months of bank statements, CRA notice of assessment for 2014 tax year, property title). My information is only supplemental. The review is based on THEIR application's merit only, the strength of your documents does not really matter.
3) Passport - scanned copy
4) Proof of relationship
No form needed. Write a letter outlining your relationship. Include all the information you can. I had dated photos, airline tickets, email records, text records, phones calls. Anything I could think of.
5) Purpose of Travel
No form needed. Write a letter outlining the purpose. Ours was visit and grow the relationship (I figured honesty was the best policy). He also has a friend of 10 years who lives a couple hours from me. His friend sent me some email correspondence, dated photos and wrote an informal email to add to the submission. So secondary purpose was also to visit his friend who cannot travel any longer due to health reasons. I also included a tentative itinerary of his travel while in Canada and the locations we would be at other than at my home.
6) IMM5645 Family Information
This form requires dates and locations of birth of immediate family (parents, brothers etc) and children. The form requires a signature
7) Invitation Letter
From me. Detailed my personal information (as the host) and his information (as the invitee), as well as who else lives in my house, information regarding my children, copy of my birth certificate. I also had to include my marriage & divorce certificate as I kept my ex-married last name so it didn't match my birth certificate. I threw in my passport for good measure. Outlined also what I would be providing while in Canada ie; flight, accommodations, food, and travel and entertainment expenses, medical insurance. My mother wrote a letter that stated, if I fell ill or some other emergency involving me occurred while he was in Canada, my parents would ensure he had accommodations and food and assist him with organizing his return to Cuba (ride to airport, etc).
8) Digital Photo
This is a separate photo, not the photo already on the passport. His friend took a photo and I cropped it to fit the correct size. CIC has a document that lists the specifications.
9) IMM5257 Schedule 1
This form relates to military service. No signature is required.
10) Letter of Explanation
We used this section as an area for additional documents and to "plead his case" on why he would return to Cuba. This is a very important statement, that they will return to Cuba. This is the letter that explained his ties to Cuba, work, children, family members, memberships in associations, anything attempting to prove that their ties to Cuba are strong and they will return. We also used this section to include additional documents that could not be attached in the other sections. This included his employment letter authorizing his leave from work for a certain period, a work reference letter, his education certificate (post secondary), an English language proficiency certificate, a membership certificate for an association in cuba.
Any letters written were signed by him and scanned/emailed to me. Same thing for documents requiring a signature.
At this time they did not require a medical certificate or police clearance. When you do the online application it tells you what documents/sections you must provide information for with the current application.
I will give you the rest of the background in another post (this one is getting long). I am currently waiting on a document from him to submit the 3rd application. (Yes, denied twice already).
