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Top 7 Canada Visa Application Mistakes to Avoid

Incomplete Paperwork

Applying for a visa on your own means risking the chance of missing some key requirement or overlooking a minute detail that may make or break your case. That’s understandable: the stress of preparing for immigration takes a toll on the best of us.

With that being said, missing a key form may, at the very best, lead to your case being delayed and, at the worst, may cause your application to be denied.

Unnecessary Paperwork

“The more – the better” is not a rule you should go by when collecting documents to support your case.

Showing more supporting paperwork than officially required may lead the immigration authorities to believe that you either failed to read the official guidelines altogether or are planning to use the unnecessary documents to somehow earn yourself a visa. None of this will ever work: the immigration officer examining your case will only ever be interested in proving the facts relevant to your visa application.

If a grown adult is applying for a Canadian work visa, attaching a copy of their birth certificate to the application will in no way aid their case: the fact that the applicant was, indeed, born is not something that needs to be proven. Their identity will be proven to the immigration authorities by their passport.

Similarly, including a copy of a driver’s license with the application is completely unnecessary. It neither attests to the applicant having enough money to show with their visa nor to their intent to return to their home country after their visa runs out.

Every additional document is something that an immigration officer will have to read through and inspect only to find that it is completely unrelated to the applicant’s case.

Misleading Information

Similar to most other developed countries, the Canadian immigration system is built on bureaucracy. If the application and all of its attachments are filed and compiled in accordance with the strictly-set and publically-available requirements, the time and effort it will take to review them will be lower, which significantly improves your overall chances for success.

For instance, if you plan on visiting Canadian relatives, the fact of them actually residing in the country doesn’t mean a thing. Your application will have to convince your immigration officer of four main things:

• That you have a strong idea of what you’re going to do after arrival.
• That you have a place to live.
• That you will not attempt to illegally enroll in an educational course or start working.
• That you are incentivized to return back to your home country after your visa runs out.

These four reasons will help you figure out the types of supporting documentation to attach to your visa application. The proof you provide will have to leave your immigration officer satisfied of your intentions.

Taking the Rules a Step Too Far

There are cases when applicants take sticking to the requirements a bit too far. This too can harm an immigration case.

Let’s say your permanent resident card expires when you’re out of the country. The rules suggest that the first thing you should do when this happens is to turn to the nearest Canadian visa center. In reality, however, this will almost always lead to your PR status getting revoked. Petitioning to have your PR status reinstated after that will cost a lot of time and money and may result in you losing the chance to restore it altogether.

Disclaimer: Our team never advises clients to violate immigration laws. The situation above was to illustrate that knowing the inner workings of the Canadian immigration system can save you plenty of efforts and protect you from certain irreversible consequences.

A “Simpler” Solution

Another way to earn a place in Canada popular with certain insufficiently-informed individuals is to come into the country under the guise of a temporary tourist before trying to pass as a refugee and applying for refugee status.

There are numerous articles and forum threads calling this an “ideal way to immigrate”: to them, earning refugee status means getting immediate access to welfare benefits, health care insurance, and the right to work along with no entrance exams and no fees – what’s not to like?

These individuals need to be reminded of the severe repercussions imposed on those who fake their way into Canada. Getting caught red-handed almost always leads to immediate deportation without the right to step foot in the country ever again.

False Information or Common Error?

Errors, misspellings, and flaws are commonplace in any legal document. Immigration officers are tasked with differentiating between common errors and deliberate misrepresentations in visa applications. Their decision can mean the difference between getting a visa and having the application rejected.

If the officer determines the error to be a deliberate misrepresentation, the applicant’s actions will be considered fraudulent, the visa will be denied, and any visas the applicant may apply for in the future will be severely harder to get.

Be sure to thoroughly check all names, numbers, and facts you provide to the authorities on your application and compare them against any supporting documents you attach.

What to Do in Case of Visa Refusal

If your application is refused – don’t panic. There is nothing that would legally prevent you from trying again. A common Canada visa mistake, in this case, is showing the same supporting documents in your new application as you did with the one that was turned down. Betting on another officer treating your case differently is the wrong way to go: every consecutive refusal is documented and will work against any future applications.

Try to figure out what was wrong the last time and work on making it right. Request an official extract from your immigration case and plan your next steps according to the provided data.

Consider working with an immigration specialist. Our team can help craft a winning application even when a case seems impossible.