My Canadian VISA application experience

The first step in getting to Canada to visit my partner is to get a VISA. I have never applied for a VISA before so I did not know what to expect. The first thing I did was go online, open Google, and keyed in Canadian VISA application. I noticed that the popular website is the CIC website so I clicked and explored it. As of writing this post, the link http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/apply-who.asp says that to visit Canada (as a tourist), you need to:

• have a valid travel document, such as passport,
• be in good health
• have no criminal or immigration-related convictions,
• convince an immigration officer that you have ties - such as a job, home, financial assets or family - that will take you back to your country,
• convince an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit, and
• have enough money for your stay (The amount of money you will need can vary. It depends on things such as how long you will stay, and whether you will stay in a hotel, or with friends or relatives)

You may also need:

• medical exam and
• letter of invitation from someone who lives in Canada

After reading some of the FAQs in the page, I downloaded the IMM5257 F or Application for Visitor VISA (Temporary Resident VISA). The form is pretty self explanatory and easy to fill out. Please remember to VALIDATE after filling out the PDF file and PRINT THE BARCODES on the last page. You will need this when you submit your application.

Apart from this, I included the following:

• Passport 
• Manager's check for Php 3,450 for the application fee, made payable to VFS Services Phils. Pvt. Inc. (Upon checking the website, there are new rules now in paying the fees and I think they have additional fees. Please check their website for more information)
• Plane tickets
• Confirmation of hotel reservations
• Bank statements showing the money I have in my savings account
• Credit card statement - to prove that I have enough line of credit to accomodate expenses
• Letter of invitation from my partner
• My partner's scanned copy of her birth certificate
• Itinerary of my two weeks stay in Canada
• Certificate of Employment
• NBI Clearance
• NSO certified birth certificate
• Letter of request addressed to my boss asking for permission to be on leave for two weeks. My boss signed this as a proof that she gave me permission and that I will be coming back.

I know that some will say I went overboard but it's better than not getting approved because I lack documents right? Now I submitted the above mentioned documents to VFS Global and you can find their address here. I got there at around 10 am and there was a lot of people because they receive application not just for Canada but for different countries as well. Now please remember that you are not allowed to carry anything with you inside - repeat, anything. Good thing I had my friend with me and she was willing to look after my stuff. The process was pretty fast once your number gets called. They went through my documents one by one and that was it!

I was notified through text a few days after that my application was received by the embassy and was being processed. And as you know, I got approved and spend two weeks last September 2015 here in Canada.

Disclaimer.