Common Reasons for Refusal

TRV Visa: Visa-required countries

A TRV visa is also a type of travel authorization, much like the eTA. Individuals from Visa-requied countries require a TRV visa in their passport before they are allowed to board a plane at an airport. The Canadian government has placed many countries on a non-visa exempt list to ensure individuals are screened properly before being permitted to travel to Canada.

​The TRV visa application process is a lengthy one. The application asks for plenty of detailed personal and family information. In addition, many documents must be provided to strengthen and support the application. Unlike US visas that have an interview, Canada's screening process is only done by a paper application with no interview. It is extremely important to prepare a strong application as the immigration officers can make a decision based on the information provided in the application.

Many individuals do not understand the process and there is a high rate of refusal when an individual applies on their own. Normally, when an application is submitted after one or more refusals, it should extensively address all the previous refusal reasons, otherwise an officer may refuse the application again.

TRV visas are refused for many reasons. They are refused for all the same refusal reasons of an eTA (read below), plus an additional 13 reasons which normally only apply to the screening process for TRV applications.

Reasons for TRV refusal:

• Lack of Travel History: If a person has not traveled anywhere outside of their home country before, they will be refused a visa if they apply on their own. Our firm can overcome this reason by making legal arguments and referencing a Federal Court Case in the application.
• Strong Family Ties to Canada: having family members in Canada can be a reason for refusal, and individual applying on their own can be refused. Our firm can overcome this reason by making legal arguments and referencing a Federal Court Case in the application.
• Length of stay: Individuals who state on the application they wish to stay for a longer period, usually require significant financial funds.
• Real Purpose of Visit: there wasn't a good enough explanation of the reason for travel to Canada.
• Lack of Employment Prospects in Home Country
• Current Employment Situation
• Personal Assets
• Host in Canada financial situation: lack of documentation
• Documents that do no appear authentic
• History of overstaying status on a previous visit to Canada
• Illegal Status in Country of Residence
• Other Reasons

eTA (electronic Travel Authorization) visa: Visa-exempt countries

Individuals from Visa-exempt countries are usually refused on grounds of inadmissibility:

• Criminality (having previously been charged with a crime)
• Misrepresentation (having misrepresented information to Canada immigration previously and received a ban)
• Previous Deportation: for overstaying visit illegally
• Medical Inadmissibility: have a contagious disease that is a threat to Canadians
• Human Rights Violations: previously served in the military for a country that has been deemed to have participated in war crimes. Additional documents must be provided to overcome this inadmissibility.