Hello,

We're a group of totally blind, close-knit friends across various countries. My friend (31M, on Vancouver Island) and I (24M, in Seattle) would like to send our mutual friend (37F, from the Philippines) to the US and/or Canada for about a month to spend some time with us, potentially attend an accessibility-focused conference (CSUN, ACB, etc.) while here, and the like. We have questions regarding the availability of B-2 appointments and processing time, her odds of approval, and should she be issued a suitable visa, the logistics of crossing the US–Canada border.

Filipina friend currently lives in a mortgaged accessory dwelling built specifically for her on her family's property toward which she regularly makes payments, but as the deed and loan aren't in her name, any records of payments are informal. She currently works as a transcriptionist for a blindness podcast out of New Zealand and has fairly recent work history with Philippines-based employers. She has completed undergraduate (and some postgraduate) study in the Philippines. She has travelled to Singapore a few years ago and went home on time but has no other recent international travel history. She applied over 10 years ago for a Canadian tourist visa and was denied (she admits the application was half-hearted and she had insufficient ties to home). She holds a valid, unexpired passport. None of us have ever married, none of us plan to marry anyone for the foreseeable future, and none of us have children. Canadian friend and I both work in the accessible technology field and will jointly provide airfare, room, and board (and technically could each cover this up to 100% individually should the need arise). I'm willing to file an I-134, but would prefer to do this as an option of last resort and suspect it would do more harm than good in any event. Questions:

• How likely do you estimate her chance of approval to be? There are definitely red flags (nationality for one, potentially unusual situation, and I'm not sure exactly how best to show her intent not to abandon her foreign residence) but also some possibly mitigating factors.
• Would plans to attend blindness-specific conferences/conventions for personal enjoyment that require domestic travel help, hinder, or have no impact on her application?
• How much would gaining additional travel history before applying matter? If so, is Singapore or Taiwan helpful? Does Aus/Can/EU/UK mean significantly more given their visa requirements?
• How difficult is it to get a B-2 interview appointment at the Manila embassy? (my Indian colleagues seeking B visas for their families bemoan several-months-long queues). How far out are they generally booked, and how long after the interview concludes is a visa decision made? This page on the State Department website quotes a wait time of 35 days, but what does that mean: is that how far they're currently booked out or the wait time between the interview and visa issuance?
• If she is granted an unannotated, multiple-entry B-2, this page on the IRCC website suggests she can travel by air across the Canadian border with a Canadian ETA. I assume that, similar to US ESTA-eligible nationals, short trips of a few days count as time "inside the US" and the expectation to remain outside the US for twice as many days as inside does not apply with respect to these short trips, is that correct? Should she mention her intent to visit Canada while here during her interview (does that help or harm)? Would travel by seaplane be permitted for this case?

Thanks in advance for any and all help you can provide!

Edit: fix typos