fcisca:
Hello my people.
I checked the status of my application and here is what I got (attached).
Now on vas website it says "visa application still being processed at visa office..."
I am confused. @awelekiti @jayfierce, @justwise and other TRV experts please come out to assist your sisto o

Lol. Why the confusion? Congrats It's been approved and possibly ready for pick up. Confirm you've had previous canada visas. Also kindly assist with documents submitted. Tanchu.

careerwoman:

Congratulations!! I wish I had accepted my friend's advice and processed my application at the abuja office. They seem to be more forthcoming. Learnt my lesson; never trying Lagos again except I have a strong link. They just be refusing people anyhow.

Sorry about the refusal. Even if you submitted your application at Abuja VAC, it would still be taken to lagos.

soberdrunk:
Nigerians will just be reacting anyhow!!! No respect for "authority"

It's called democracy

Aggy80:
Good Afternoon,
Please my mum wants to go and visit my younger sister and her kids, she is a student in Canada how does she go about the visa, or can she apply for the visa from the USA she is there.
Thanks

Yes she can apply for her visa from the US.

Fortissimo502:
Hi guys, like how much should one show in bank statements for a 1week vacation in canada? I'm guessing at least 1.5million.

Depends on your activities. Have you done a breakdown of what the trip will actually cost you?

zambelambe:
@jayfierce

Greetings people in the house Good Afternoon please I need your help I am about submitting my Visitors visa application I want to visit canada for my annual leave this year I have put my travel date for may 5th 2017 and I would liek to spend 7 days.I would like to know how long the application takes to process? I have good travel history I have travelled to Uk. USA ,Southafrica, tanzania,turkey etc.What are the documents i would be needing and how long does it take? Do i need to do medicals? whats home ties would I b needing?I would await your prompt reply.Thanks

Paper or online application which is better?

Current processing times is 116days. Please apply as soon as possible. I recommend the paper route.

Kindly go online and complete the questionnaire: http://www.cic.gc.ca/ctc-vac/getting-started.asp
This would generate the required forms for you to complete. For paper application, your answer should be NO when asked if you are going to scan your documents.

You do not need medicals for a short visit. Examples of home ties are: Employment, travel history, assets, family, responsibilities etc. Please read through the pages of this thread to get more insight.

zuby4real10:
It is high time we the mmm participants accept the fact that mmm has serious challenges that it can not be able to withstand. We should just count our loss and move on. The money that we ph didn't fall from the sky, we work for it nd if we work hard again we Will still get another one.God bless all the mmm members here for having the courage to take the risk . At least we have shown the world that we are ready for it's challenges. any body that can not bear the risk is not worthy of been rich.
Advice from a chronic mmm participant.

Nice speech

manlikegb:


Ok thanks much sir.

Uwc sir!

manlikegb:


@jayfierce, happy new year sir. Please I have a quick question..... As gcms notes is for Canada, what is for UK? Any idea please? I found something like SAR - "Subject Access Request" and I'm not so sure. Thanks for your help.

Happy new year sir! Honestly don't know much about that but did a quick search and it appears you can use SAR. You could ask this question in the UK visa thread. Am sure they will help you better.

Enyinne:

Hi my people,thank God I found this page .am in a dilemma and need to clear it up .my mum applied for Canadian immigrants visa for me which was sent to Ghana .the name I used is not same with what am answering now as she used her own maiden name to file for me as to suit and correspond with document tendered .but I was refused cos it took a long time like close to 5yrs for me to be called for interview by that time I hv gotten married ,baby is now involved and I was not looking like the age of 22yrs any longer which is they bench match age for immigrants visa . Now I want to apply for a visiting visa now ,using another name as per my original name but I can't remember if Canadian embassy Ghana took my thumb print at interview . Pls hv any one visited Ghana for their interview. ,did u thumbprint ?? As my interview was short but not granted .what point is thumbprint needed ?this is help me know if I thumbprinted or not so I take my decision..

According to what I read, biometrics collection didn't start till September 4th 2013 for ghana.

calalili2018:
Application finally approved. Thank God.

Congrats!

Aktyso:
please i want to apply for Canada temporary visa though i have a usa valid visa. the purpose of traveling is for tourist purpose which i want to visit in my next summer visit to USA, please should my literary be from nigeria or Usa. Also must i look for a Canada resident person to invite me or booking any hotel will be ok?

An invite is not a must. You can book a hotel.

fekani:
hello jayfierce, pls how did you apply for the gcms note? i need help with it pls

I used gcmsnow.com. If you've got someone in Canada who could help you then it would be cheaper.

Happy new year all! Wish all TRV hopefuls success in their applications.

I applied for my GCMS Notes and finally got it yesterday. I also got one from a friend who was refused and compared both. There's not much information, however there are a few important things which can be deduced:

1. Your name is run against USA and Canadian databases to check for criminal records.

2. Your name is searched for in IRCC database. This makes lying about previous refusals futile.

For my friend's refusal on purpose of visit and travel history, two offices were involved: London office gave the first review and Accra office gave the final decision: Docs and notes reviewed-limited previous travel demonstrated-no compelling need to travel- Refused as per R179.

My decision was from only Accra: Coming for tourism, Purpose of trip is credible, History of travel demonstrated, bank statements show sufficient funds to pay for the trip, I am satisfied that the applicant is a bona-fide visitor under R179. TRV issued.

Currently researching more into R179 to get more information but I believe it's the economic situation that influenced a lot of refusals last year. We hope this year will be better.

zeus001:


Thanks Jayfierce. You've been very helpful bro. I've checked it today but it was already past 3pm when I did. So I'll go there on Monday.
The travel to Cameroon doesn't count for several reasons. It was in 2004 when my dad was handling a project at the Nigeria/Cameroon border at Mfum, Cross River state. We usually visit him there during the holidays. We used to drive in and out of the country, with my dad's influence ofcourse. Mfum is a typical village so we used to go into Cameroon to chill or pick up a few groceries that wasnt available in Mfum. There was no need for international passport or visa or anything like that. That's why I said it doesn't count and really it doesn't. There was no need to bring that up in the application. What I meant was I've never travelled to another country through the normal means of applying for visa and boarding a plane or even a bus for the journey as is done for Ghana, Togo and Cotonou in some cases.

Thanks for clarifying bro. Looking forward to you possessing your visa.

zeus001:
Hello house. Just confirmed. Application approved. Am still waiting for the embassy to ask me to come for my passport. God is amazing. As promised these are the documents I submitted:

- Invitation letter from my uncle who is a Canadian citizen, stating the reason for the visit and that all expenses will be covered by him and his family. Signed and dated on PDF file. The reason is family reunion. I've not seen my cousins since 2006 and they've been to Nigeria only once so I wanted to use my leave to spend some time with them.
- Employment letter
- 5 months GTB Statement of account of 1.8 million
- Letter of explanation/introduction. In this piece I explained in details my responsibilities and family ties both in Nigeria and Canada, my professional career and why staying beyond the approved time will not be in my interest. I also reiterated that all living expenses, accomodation and feeding during my stay will be handled by my uncle and his family and the funds am bringing with me will be for other sundry and personal expenses. I am single, I do not have any personal landed property, I have never traveled out of Nigeria before. I was honest about all that in the letter of explanation.
- Travel itinerary. I stated specific addresses of places I plan to visit and the dates, the specific addresses of my friends in Canada I plan to visit. I also stated that the plans can be rescheduled just in case I don't get the approval before the stated dates.

zeus001:

So sorry bro. After all this time. This is very scary o. Couldn't they just ask for more documents? At least give opportunity to even explain one's self before making a final decision. Na wa. My own fear is that I have a virgin passport. The only country I've been to is Cameroon and I know that one doesn't count. Am really worried now. Abeg guys will the virgin passport count against me? I know there's no rule book for that perse but what are my chances?

Congrats Zeus001! @ the emboldened comments. You should use your tracking number from VFS to know where you passport is. Also please kindly clarify that you haven't travelled out of the country before because you previously wrote that you've gone to Cameroon. Thanks a lot bro.

PapaBrowne:
Hi ALL,
The information provided here is top class.

I applied 6 weeks ago via online application. My application has been updated and I have been requested to come with my passport.

Please how long does it take from the time my passport is dropped off with VFS for it to be returned.

Thanks

Congrats. Is this your first time to apply for a Canadian visitors visa? It would be beneficial to the house if you share documents submitted. Thanks in advance.

goodman31:
Good day house.
Please am I supposed to fill statutory declaration of common law union. Although am legally married.

No. Since you are legally married you do not need to fill the statutory declaration of common law union form.

mummyf:
happy sunday people.
aunty shadeebee78,jayfierce and co, greetings o
processing time is now 96 days.

Greetings mummyf.

@careerwoman
So should I include a SOP to the required documents to be submitted alongside the application? A letter of explanation should suffice.

Whom do I address the letter to?? Is there an embassy in Nigeria? http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/nigeria/contact-lagos-contactez.aspx?lang=eng

Documents I plan to submit include;
Letter of invitation from the MUN conference organisers
My bro's statement of acct and proof of relationship
Travel Itinery
Flight and hotel booking
proof of studentship
passport biodata page
Schengen visa page with travel stamps
SOP
Visa form..
Are there other documents I need to add?? Yes. Proof of financial aid from conference organisers. Additional documents from sponsor to show strong financial base(If available). All other immigration forms as generated by the questionnaire you took online.

The whole essence of the story is this; will I state on canada's visa form that I have been denied a visa??(saw a question like that on their form) Yes

careerwoman:

thank you very much for the swift response. will go through the paper route. How do I go about it anyway? I have the document checklist from the cic website. my sponsor is my elder brother but he doesn't have a domiciliary account ooo.. I also have a financial aid award from the organisers of about 1,000 USD. Do I still stand a chance to getting the visa?

And your ties? Job, family, assets, responsibilities?

careerwoman:

Good evening everyone, Please, my enquiry is about visitor visa to Canada. I have a conference to attend in Montreal in mid March 2017. I want to know if it is still feasible to get the visa within this short time frame. I hope to complete my online application next week. Also, what visa office does one address their letter from sponsor to? Is there a visa office in Nigeria? What is the minimum amount that should be in my sponsor's account? Which route is faster and more cost-effective? What general advice can you give me concerning visitor visa to Canada to avoid mistakes and refusal? I hope to hear from someone soon. Thank you. Success to all other applicants on the forum.. Cheers

How do I get affordable but good flight deals to Canada. It's only a 10 day trip, I don't want to spend a fortune on flight ticket.

Good evening. With paper application you may stand a better chance of getting a decision before the conference date.
Please kindly state the relationship between you and your sponsor.

RedReact:

My brother, na malaria o; I am much better now though.

Pele.

We need to chop the Ijakpa.

RedReact:
Greetings to all in the house.

Greetings! Why you disppear since nau?

Greetings to you too @ shadeebee78.

zeus001:
Good morning. I got a request for my original passport yesterday so I'll go submit it on Monday. In fact na me go open their gate for them on Monday morning.
The letter just said a decision has been reached on my app. Ofcus as usual there was no mention of the actual decision reached. And my online app still shows 'open' and 'not started'.
My question: is there a way or clue to deduce if the decision is positive from the message they sent me? Pls I need to know cuz this suspense is driving me nuts. Any useful tips will mean the world to me pls. Many thanks.

Congrats Zeus! Finally! I remember when you were thinking of withdrawing the online application. Thank God it was successful.

The decision reached is that your application is successful except your passport get comma or new implicating information renders you ineligible for a Visa. You can confirm this by looking at the date your visa was issued when you receive it. It should correspond with the passport request date.

Also your status will change when they finalise the process. I posted Screenshots of the change that occurred in my account.

Abeg honour your pipo with the documents you submitted.

ladylco:


this is very helpful

You are welcome.

Umuahia? Adonbeilivit.

Humility01:


Hello @jayfierce, please can you share the sample of your travel itinerary with us? If you can post it here, it will be fine for all to learn from.

I didn't do a budget breakdown because i felt the money available for my trip was more than sufficient to cover for the activities listed.

paparazzi1987:
My study permit will expires in February 7 because my passport will expires on that same day. But my program will actually expires in april 30.
Can I still apply for visitors visa for my family ?

Please I need urgent advise as I am contemplating to reapply next week.

Thanks

Sorry about the refusal. I was actually rooting for your family to get the visa.

I suspect you already know the answer to your question, especially in light of the new information you just provided. I would advise you not to waste your money.

Good morning Jukeblam and Humility01. You were refused on same reasons and given same generic response. If I would trust the GCMS Notes, the summary is "overall establishment". This could be your net worth and long term prospects viewed in light of the current economic situation. A mortgage is a debt instrument and could negatively affect your financial status. It may normally be overkill to compare the economic value of a commercial house, a personal house, and a barren land, but in the light of a recession, these things may be considered.

Nigeria is top 5 on the list of countries whose citizens have filed for asylum in the last 10 years. Asylum is good when it's justified but it calls for concern when students or visitors who have no need for asylum, file for it and disappear into the crowd. It is normal to expect an increase due to the recession and I guess IRCC are raising their walls to handle it.

I agree with jukeblam, I think they should be left alone for now. "Repackage and Refire immediately" is outdated and was used when our Economy was buoyant. Please enjoy your vacation in any other country that you have access to. Good luck.

Humility01:

Honestly, I am surprised at their refusal because I have never been refused a visa before. One thing that is very clear from the GCMS note is that they share data with the US.
Just decided to share the story of my application. I hope to reapply again when I come back from the US.

You need a coding kit to decipher the codes used. Here's the download link:
https://caipsnotes.com/Docs/download.php?name=CAIPS_Coding_Kit.pdf
Please kindly let us know if you are able to get more information from the GCMS using the coding kit.

I'm really upset at the spate of refusals, and I've gone ahead to apply for a GCMS note. I want look deeper into their reasons and reasoning for granting or refusing a Visa. It's either they've raised their standards or they are enforcing it 110% which could translate to a refusal for a small mistake. Or maybe they are considering the economic recession as grounds to refuse applicants. It's annoying.