Canada visa for parents

Question:

Where should I apply for my parent’s Canadian visa? Should I do that once they come to USA or in India itself?

We were planning on doing it in India, but looks like my parents have to go to a VFS center to submit the application as there is no center in our city. I am not sure if we can send it by post as the VFS charges are accepted only in cash.

Also the entire process will be done by post so answering any questions that might come up like “why are you going/ trip itinerary etc “ seems impossible.

Please do let me know of your experiences on this & I will post a compile on what is better.

Final Compile:

Thanks all for your responses.

Over all, the majority feedback is “Get it done when parents are here in Seattle. Much more faster and convenient.” 

The only drawback is that their Canadian visa issued will be valid only for the duration of their stay in the US. So if they come back after 6 months, you have to apply for the visa again. Also the son/daughter needs to show that they will sponsor their parents trip to Canada.

Another consideration point is that in  India, one has to go to VFS office in person to submit the application which will then get sent to Delhi. If the VFS office is not there in your city, you can chose to travel there else appoint a representative to do that for you.

Overall my takeaway from this is: Get the visa here in Seattle.

Induvidual responses:

Seattle is fine. It is very easy (I think specially for MS employee parents)

Just make sure that they get their bank statements from India

It was very easy for us. We went in with paper work and got the visa in couple of hours. I have heard that the process has changed a little bit where the passports are returned the next day.

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Single entry visa getting it done here is pretty easy. Just show their return tickets and your bank statement.

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You can do it from here.You just have to take them to the consulate here in Seattle downtown and they can get the Canadian visa the same day.

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I suggest get it done in India itself. There was an old lady who was denied Canadian visa while I was having my interview at NY Canadian Visa office. It is difficult to convince the counselor why one(tourist) is applying his/her visa within USA as a post-thought. The lady was grilled heavily although she had all valid documents and they also questioned her intent as a tourist. The lady was denied visa based on these grounds only. She had made all bookings etc, but they don’t have any use, and she had to cancel it. For tourists, it is easy to convince the counselor in India than in USA.

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We twice did it here for my parents. We went to visit Canada when they were here. The process here is too simple, need some photographs and forms filled and you get visa in 2-3 hours. You need to go in morning at Seattle Canadian consulate and by 11AM, visa is with you. They grant visa until the US I-94 is valid. Fees are $75 for each visa.

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It will be good to do it here.

Canadian embassy is in Seattle and it is a half day thing to get the visa.

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It’s better to apply for the Canadian Visa in India. The validity of Visa granted in India will be independent of the US visa or the US visit.

On the other hand, it’s also possible to get the visa in the Canadian consulate in Seattle. The validity in this case will depend on the expiry date of I-94 or the period of the current US visit.  I took this path 5-6 times for my parents and in-laws just for its convenience. But I know I could have saved a ton of money if we had just gotten this done in India.

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This will give you all the information: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/seattle/imm/visiting_can_visiter.aspx?lang=eng&menu_id=54&menu=L

If you are in Seattle, you get the visa within 4 hours. Go to Canadian Consulate early in the morning at 7:30, submit your documents, get visa at around 11.

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Its very easy to get it in Seattle itself. You need to go at 8 in the morning and collect passport with visa around 11.

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My parents got their visa in India but it is a pain and the folks in Canadian consulate in Delhi are just plain idiots (yes they applied from Chennai but it gets mailed to Delhi). They asked for visa Jun-Oct but got Dec - Jun. 

Better to apply it here

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In India.

Chek the Canadian site .. it should clearly state that.

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Process is more painful in India but if you have the time, get it from India. In Seattle Canadian Consulate, they will most likely only get a single or multiple entry visa valid for only 6 months. That means on their next trip they will have to go again for a visa.

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You can get that done here itself. I did the same last year in August.
It's just a matter of 3 hours, and you will get the visa without any hassle. It would be great if you can sponsor their visit to Canada and attach all the relevant documents with the visa application.

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It is probably more convenient to get it done after they come here. It is a simple process that only takes a few hours. They can go in the morning to the consulate in Seattle and get your passports back by afternoon.

The Consulate here lists all the documents and you can pay in Cash. You can go with your parents to the consulate and so that is not an issue. You don't have to show them any specific itinerary related to Canada. Apart from the usual documents a copy of their return flight tickets is enough.

I did this a few years ago and it was a breeze.