Free travel insurance is usually a gimmick. With my card, the first 5 days are free if you are under 60. If over 60 it's 2 days free. Then of course to get the free days you need to take out a policy for the duration of your trip.
the OP applied for single entry visa, not multi. But in any case, it's not true that the visa will be denied if he says he will enter visa exempt. I was in the exact same situation last year and they actually encouraged me to enter visa exempt. They also agreed to delay processing of my visa so I could use it for my next planned trip. Also the OP cannot "try the Vancouver consulate", you are required to direct your application based on your residence location.
I had to replace my laptop this year while in Thailand. The exact same model was 25% more in Canada (CAD and US pricing is comparable). No shipping cost, no wait, plus I got the vat rebate. No brainer
What a goofy set of rules. I would never qualify because I'm self-employed, but if I did I wouldn't bother as I'm only in Thailand for 5 months and there is really no benefit. Also many private companies will not disclose revenue $$. TIT
The Ottawa embassy has been backed up for years (not joking). They state on their website that processing time is 25 business days. So with both Canadian and Thai holidays, you need 7 weeks. I applied for my Jan 25 trip on Nov 30
