Top 9 reasons why you won't get a visa to Canada

I am the founder of the Immigrant.Today emigration project. For 8 years of running the project, I have communicated with thousands of people who want to go to Canada. During this time I've heard different stories and I'm just sure that most people will stay in their home country. Let me give you the main reasons why this happens and why you may not be able to get a visa to Canada.

Canada is very interested in immigrants, every year about half a million people get permanent resident status. Even more people come to Canada on work and study visas. Canada constantly takes top spots in all kinds of rankings and not so long ago was the best country in the world. It is safe here, so for all the reasons mentioned above, there are even more people who want to move here — hundreds of millions of people.

Requirements

The first reason why you may be refused a permanent residence permit in Canada is the eligibility requirements. They are different for different programs: somewhere you need to know English, somewhere French, and the levels may differ. Sometimes candidates are selected by age and if you are, say, 50 years old, your immigration application won't be approved. It is also often necessary to have a certain occupation, but this is easier: some programs invite highly skilled professionals only such as scientists, programmers, and engineers. In some programs, on the contrary, only farm labourers, waiters, and cleaners are selected.

Deception

The second reason for visa refusal is also very common, but this is because some people are used to deception. If you lie when submitting documents and it becomes known, you will pay. I will tell you a short story. We helped our client from Uzbekistan apply for a study visa. His employer was very surprised when he received a call from a Canadian visa officer. It seems that our client forgot to warn him that he was going to quit his job, but somehow he provided a letter of support from this employer.

Criminal record

The third reason why you may be denied a visa is if you have a criminal record. If you have committed a serious crime, you can probably forget about Canada. But if you have a lesser offense, you can wait a while and apply for rehabilitation. You should also analyze if the crime committed is punishable in Canada. A simple example is drugs. Cannabis is legalized in Canada and you won't be sanctioned for an offense under such an article. Some unpleasant situations make it impossible to move to Canada. One of my acquaintances applied for immigration, waited for the decision for his residence permit, but during this time he committed a traffic accident in alcohol intoxication — hit a person. He was prosecuted and his immigration application was rejected.

Health condition

The fourth reason for refusal is your medical condition. When you immigrate or apply for a long-term temporary visa, you will be required to undergo a medical examination at special clinics. Doctors will examine you and send the results to Canada, where a decision will be made if you're approved or not. If you read Canadian law, there are 3 main reasons why you may be refused on medical grounds.

The first reason is when you are dangerous on a mental level. For example, you have a mental disease or alcohol addiction and you are a danger to others. The second reason is when your illness is contagious, such as tuberculosis. And the third reason is that supporting your treatment or using social services will cost Canadian taxpayers a lot of money.

I want to reassure you a little bit: if you have a disability or chronic illness, likely, you won't be denied for health reasons. For 2023, you will only be denied if the cost of maintaining your health for 5 years is more than CAD 128,445, which is more than USD 19,000 per year.

Finance

And I'll move on to the next reason why you may not be granted a Canadian visa. It is trivial — for financial reasons. For example, when applying for a visitor visa, you need to prove that you have enough money to rent a hotel, buy a flight ticket and then return home, and so on. It is important to show that you have a stable job, real estate, and in your bank statement for the last 4 months, you have more income than expenses. It is the same with study visas: not only do you have to pay for your studies in advance, but you also have to show that you have a certain amount of money to live in Canada.

Security threat

The sixth reason you may be denied a Canadian visa is a threat to national security. This is especially relevant nowadays. If you have been involved in espionage, subversion, mass violence, terrorism, or even if you were some kind of official and infringed on human rights, these are also all grounds for being refused.

Deportation and violation of the rules of stay

The seventh reason for refusal is your previous deportation. If you have been deported from Canada for, for example, one year and you want to re-enter the country before that time, you must get special permission or you will simply be refused again.

The eighth reason is a violation of your temporary stay in Canada. For example, you came to the country as a tourist or as a student, and you have a specified date until which you can stay in Canada, but you exceeded this period, then you try to extend your visa — and you will be denied.

Inadmissible family member

I hope the previous reasons have not affected you personally, but there is a ninth reason, and it is also very unpleasant — it is an inadmissible family member. Let's say you are healthy, you have an excellent past, no crimes, everything seems to be fine, but let's say your spouse has tuberculosis. You will probably be banned from getting a visa as well as your spouse, so the whole family won't be able to get visas.

Assistance

If you have a special case or just need help with your Canadian visa, you can book a consultation with our immigration company. We have several experienced licensed consultants working for us. Save your money, don't get sick, don't commit a crime, and then you will definitely be able to come to Canada.

Alex Pavlenko, founder of Immigrant.Today