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Has anybody from India applied for a canadian visitor visa online?

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Has anybody from India applied for a canadian visitor visa online?

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Old Jul 30, 2013, 5:57 am
  #31  
 
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Originally Posted by AA_EXP09
If I take into account crossings which don't have a stamp (Japan with automated gates, HK with HKID, Canada, and USA with NEXUS) then I have probably lost count unless I want to take a look at my (very long) spreadsheet which I only use to verify mileage for personal purposes, and days outside Canada for tax purposes.
I painstakingly compiled my entire lifetime of travel into a spreadsheet a few years ago after being hassled too many times by various embassies, security agencies and other inquisitive bodies. Nowadays I just sort by date and print out whatever time range is asked for. Drown them in paperwork if that is what they want!
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Old Jul 30, 2013, 7:55 am
  #32  
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India needs you to enter the list in an online form which gets rather complicated
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Old Jul 30, 2013, 12:03 pm
  #33  
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hserus, may I know if there is requirement to enter Canada within X months like Brazil (90 days?)

I need to apply for my in-laws. They plan on visiting the US in Jan and then Canada on the return in June.
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Old Jul 30, 2013, 9:31 pm
  #34  
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The TRV (temporary resident visa) I was issued doesn't state any such condition. They also ask you for a copy of your itinerary in canada so I guess if you apply in advance and specify the dates you'll be in canada, they'll give you a visa that starts around that date and runs for a few weeks (or maybe is a six month single entry visa starting around when your parents enter canada)
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Old Aug 8, 2013, 1:29 am
  #35  
 
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Two comments :

a) My parents did the application in India through VFS last week and received their approved 10 year validity multiple entry visas back in 3 business days (mother) and 4 business days (father). Both have regular travel histories to Canada dating back almost 50 years.

b) I am trying to fill out the IMM5257B - Schedule 1 form online (only option for application from Somalia) but have hit a wall since the form only permits 37 lines for Travel History in the last 5 years and I require 381 lines for that period. hserus, how did you get around this?
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Old Aug 8, 2013, 1:39 am
  #36  
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I haven't traveled much at all since 2009 thanks to my [censored] employer imposing a travel freeze, so it was easy.
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Old Aug 8, 2013, 1:40 am
  #37  
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That said, fill in as much as you can - and they also ask you for your travel history in the section to upload documents - scans of visa pages / entry and exit stamps. Upload the lot there and be sure it doesn't exceed 4 mb.
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Old Aug 8, 2013, 2:26 am
  #38  
 
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Originally Posted by hserus
That said, fill in as much as you can - and they also ask you for your travel history in the section to upload documents - scans of visa pages / entry and exit stamps. Upload the lot there and be sure it doesn't exceed 4 mb.
Yeah, I've left out any "transit" stops on the main form (so managed to squeeze the most recent 2 years into the 37 lines) but will include all those stamps too on the main upload. Dunno how anal the Nairobi HC will be about this though - Delhi seems to be quite laissez faire lately.
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Old Aug 8, 2013, 2:33 am
  #39  
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I would say, don't sweat it. Most of the initial processing is done by local contractors, who will be as laissez faire or as anal as they please, even when working under the same set of rules.

As for stupid visa rules - there's always argentina, where the visa requirements are like the below. I have seen absolutely no other country where you are asked to have a notary sign and seal a covering letter for a tourist or business visa.

And all this run out of a room in the basement of the argentinian ambassador's villa, where a semi educated local clerk handles all the visa paperwork.

http://www.sticholidays.com/sticholi....php?pkgID=789

Covering letter for stating purpose of visit and attested by India Notary Public
Invitation letter in original and attested by Notary Public Argentine
Recommendation letter from Indian chamber of commerce

and a tourist visa -

Covering letter for stating purpose of visit on the letter head attested through Indian Notary
Day to day itinerary atteasted through Indian Notary
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Old Aug 8, 2013, 3:20 am
  #40  
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OT, but I recall an Indian limo driver in NYC telling me he 'migrated' to ARG in the 90s because they required no visa for Indians. He was a bit vague on how he ended up in Jackson Heights but confirmed he had a IR green card now...

So the current rules probably stem from widespread abuse.
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Old Aug 8, 2013, 6:26 am
  #41  
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pity. that was the only time I ever had to go to EZE

though that was one helluva route. MAA-BOM-MAA on 9W and BOM-[EWR]-DCA-[IAH]-EZE-[IAH]-[EWR]-BOM on CO. Back when they were running their BOM-EWR longhaul.

Got myself a tidy lot of miles on that, even if I flew coach on a ticket that cost me something like 95k all in. [ouch].
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Old Aug 21, 2013, 12:18 pm
  #42  
 
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So I submitted my online application this afternoon at 1408. At 1631, I received a notification that a decision had been reached and that I needed to courier my passport to Nairobi.

Processing in under 3 hours - very impressive.
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Old Aug 21, 2013, 3:22 pm
  #43  
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Originally Posted by oliver2002
OT, but I recall an Indian limo driver in NYC telling me he 'migrated' to ARG in the 90s because they required no visa for Indians. He was a bit vague on how he ended up in Jackson Heights but confirmed he had a IR green card now...

So the current rules probably stem from widespread abuse.
And at that time likely became an ESTA national after getting Argentina citizenship.
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Old Aug 21, 2013, 10:11 pm
  #44  
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3 hours to process a visa? that's probably a new record.
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Old Aug 21, 2013, 11:02 pm
  #45  
 
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Originally Posted by hserus
3 hours to process a visa? that's probably a new record.
With my luck, they've refused it because the picture was the wrong resolution or something similar!
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