TRV Refusals: The Top 5 Most Critical Mistakes
- You hired an “agent” or unlicensed consultant
An immigration “agent” is the same type of person who thinks attending a weekend seminar makes them qualified to be a life coach. They are brimming with hubris that is rooted in nothing of substance. They are self-serving and should be avoided like the plague. They will take all the credit when things go smoothly, but deflect all blame when things go wrong. At a base level their moral compass is already pointed in the wrong direction before they met you. They will twist reality and the law in any direction they need to gain your trust. They do not understand the intricacies of the law and can destroy your life.
- You were overconfident
Canadian immigration applications are not always as simple as they may seem. Officers are allotted a very small amount of time to review TRV applications. Sometimes It can be as little as 11 minutes. If your documents are convoluted or your explanation letter is lacking clarity, an officer is not going to overexert themselves figuring out what you’re trying to tell them. They will just refuse the application and move on to the next one. We always think we have a strong case in our minds. Presenting that case to a third party, in a convincing way they can easily understand is the hard part.
- You provided too many documents
I really can’t stress this enough. Overloading the officer with evidence to support your case is counterproductive. Whether it’s a work permit, study permit, or visitor visa, it’s imperative your presentation is simple and direct. For example, if your assets are diverse, DO NOT provide 86 pages of financial documents. As mentioned above, officers don’t have time to review them. You need to find a way to make the same case in a simplified manner. If you don’t, something important and compelling could go unnoticed.
- Your reason for travel is date specific, but not the actual reason for travel
This one is specific to visitor visas. There are countless examples of this I could reference, but let’s use a common one. Parents coming to visit for a convocation ceremony. Certainly, they want to attend the convocation, but the actual reason for travel is to visit their child who they haven’t seen in a year or two. Let’s just say there’s a processing delay and the application is reviewed after the date of convocation. The officer may decide you no longer have a reason to travel and refuse your application for an undisclosed reason like “The purpose of your visit to Canada is not consistent with a temporary stay given the details you have provided in your application.” If you want to come to Canada to visit family, you don’t need a special occasion to do it. Centering the visit around a certain occasion on a specific date can backfire. Frankly, immigration officers don’t care about your special occasion. They care about your incentives to leave the country after your visit.
- You lied on your application
Dishonesty in immigration applications comes in many different forms and stems from a myriad of biases and motivations. Sometimes people feel the truth will be a death knell to their approval chances. Your mother always told you honesty is the best policy and I’m here to tell you, your mother was right. Think withholding work experience information will help your study permit chances? Guess again. It won’t. It will only make your future permanent residency application more complicated. Are you saying you’re coming to Canada by yourself for a vacation when you’ve never left your home country? They will never believe you. If it was something other than a vacation, what will you say next time?
Whatever your reason or visiting Canada on a temporary basis, your case will always have the highest chance of success with a legal argument for why it should be approved. This is especially true when previous refusals are involved. When it comes to study and work permits, a competent professional will save you money. One refusal could put your life on hold for months (or years), taking thousands of dollars in future earnings out of your pocket.