Visitor Visa Refused
Visitor visas, student permit and work permits are temporary resident visas (TRV). If you’ve received notification of a visitor visa refusal from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), you need to decide what to do next. There is basically two options: appeal in Federal Court or reapply.
Why was my Visitor Visa Application Refused?
The visitor visa application process is fairly complicated and often the applicant does not fully understand the process and what is required in order to have a successful outcome. After applications for a TRV are submitted, an immigration officer reviews the application and makes a decision to approve or refuse. There is no interview and the visa officer makes a decision based solely on the information provided and will not request any additional information even if it is missing. If an application does not contain the necessary forms, information and supporting documents the application will likely be refused. Furthermore, if an application only contains the minimum required documents and it does not include documents to strengthen the application where needed it may also be refused. Therefore, it is very important to submit an application that is both strong and complete the first time a person applies.
Common Reasons for Visitor Visa Refusals
- Purpose of Visit: The most common reason work permit applicants are refused is they fail to provide sufficient details of their
trip and itinerary to satisfy the visa officer the intended purpose of their trip to Canada is tourism or to visit family which leads the
visa officer to question the actual or real purpose of the visit - Invitation Letter Insufficiently Detailed: If you are travelling to Canada to visit friends or family or to attend a business meeting and have an invitation letter you need to make sure it is detailed and clearly specifies what assistance the person or
organization issuing the invitation will provide (housing, food, etc.) - Insufficient Ties to Home Country: Visitors need to demonstrate they have strong ties to their home country so that the visa officer is satisfied they will return to their home country after their visit is complete. Ties can include family, property, employment, financial and other connections to their home country that may it likely they will return
- Finances: Visitors need to demonstrate that they have enough money to cover the costs of their travel to Canada, Although this seems straight forward it is nonetheless a frequent reason for rejection
- Strong Family Ties to Canada: Family members in Canada can be a reason for refusal especially if the person doesn’t have a large family network in his or her home country.
- Length of Stay: If the requested or intended period of stay is long and there is no good explanation this can cause the visa
officer to question if the person has an intention to leave Canada at the end of their stay. - Travel History: If a person has never travelled abroad they can be rejected on this basis of an inadequate travel history.
- Incomplete Application: Required documents are missing
- Previous Travel History: A record of having overstayed a visa in any country will increase the chances of a rejection
- Previous Visa Application History: A refusal to work, study or even visit another will increase the chances of rejection
- Inadmissible to Canada: If you are criminally or medically inadmissible to Canada your visa will be refused
Can I Appeal the Visitor Visa Refusal?
You cannot appeal a refusal of a visitor visa to IRCC. You can, however, apply for judicial review of the decision if there is reason to believe the visa officer did not assess your application properly. However, judicial review is a long and expensive process and for this reason, the best option is usually to reapply for a visitor visa with a stronger application that addresses the weak areas of your previous application.
How can a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant Help?
In addition to making sure the application is complete there are three main areas where an RCIC can help.
Obtain and Examine GCMS Notes: Global Case Management System (GCMS) is the information system used by IRCC to process visa applications and contain the entire case history. They contain the notes the visa officer has entered into the system when making a decision about an application and contain invaluable insight into the visa officer’s analysis of the case and reasoning behind the decision. GCMS notes and the refusal letter can help identify the reason for the rejection and enable you to rectify the problem by making the proper corrections and provide additional information to strengthen your application where the visa officer had concerns.
Professional Representation: If you did not have a representative for your previous application you probably only submitted the required documentation listed on the IRCC document checklist.Often, submitting only those documents are not enough to make your case that you will return to your home country after your visit and to satisfy the visa officer of other requirements of obtaining a visitor visa. Generally, it is wise to submit as much evidence as you can beyond the minimum required by IRCC. Your representative can assist you in preparing and submitting a stronger application to IRCC that address the concerns the visa officer had about your previous application.
Submission letter: An RCIC will prepare and submit a submission letter on behalf of the applicant along with the application. The submission letter will respond to and address the reasons for refusal identified in the GCMS notes and on the refusal letter.
In our experience the combination of the three factors above is usually sufficient to overcome most refusals, especially the most common or frequent ones.
If you have been refused a visitor visa or want to apply for one for the first time we are here to help! we specialize in helping clients overcome refusals and have assisted numerous clients obtain a visa after they have been refused. Please contact us and one of our Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants will revert to you within 48 hours.