In order to be successful when applying for a temporary resident visa there are several criteria that CIC officials will be looking at including; your travel history to and from Canada, your family ties and your ability to support yourself here in Canada without working.
1. You’ve traveled to and from Canada appropriately in the past.
It is a boost to your credibility if, in the past, you’ve entered Canada and left within the time you were authorized to stay with no difficulty.
Not having a travel history CANNOT be a reason for denying a visa
2. If you have strong ties to your home country
CIC will compare the strength of the ties to your native country and to Canada to see which one has the strongest ties for you. For granting a TEMPORARY Visa, officials like to see that you have a strong motivation to leave Canada once your visa is expired. Having a spouse and/or children living in Canada is considered a strong bias AGAINST granting the visa as the assumption is you are at a greater risk to stay in Canada once your visa is expired.
Your application will be based on YOUR behaviour and choices, not your family’s. For instance; if your brother came to Canada in the past as a visitor and stayed illegally, that should not be a factor to deny your application to enter Canada.
3. You can afford your stay in Canada without needing to work.
You are not allowed to work in Canada while here on a visitor’s visa. Providing original documentation from a financial institution showing your personal assets and financial status in both your home country and Canada to demonstrate you do not need to work to support yourself while visiting is very positive.
If you have any individual questions or concerns, please contact our office for more customized consultation for your unique situation. Please note that this posting is for general information only and is not to be considered binding or official legal counsel since situations will vary and can be complicated. The content in this post is current as of the day of entry. Due to the changing nature of Immigration law, the information in this entry may or may not still be applicable.