6 Worst Immigration Form Errors for Canada

To ensure that your application has a good chance of being accepted, however, there is one golden rule: Try not to make any mistakes on your application form or during any part of your application process.

 

To ensure that your application has a good chance of being accepted there is one golden rule: Try not to make any mistakes on your application form or during any part of your application process.

While there are many immigration streams to Canada and many steps in any application process, whether for a study visa or a work permit or for an application for permanent residence, there are some common mistakes that are key and may very well delay your application or even cause it to be rejected.

Here are 6 mistakes you must avoid when applying to immigrate to Canada.

 

6 Worst Mistakes When Immigrating to Canada

 

1. Sending your application to the wrong place

[Public Domain]

With so many ways to apply to come to Canada, it can be confusing understanding where and how to apply. Let’s review the more common options that potential migrants choose when deciding to apply to Canada.

• If you are 14 to 79 years old and from Pakistan, you will have to give biometrics when applying for a visa. This means you must submit your application in person at one of the 3 VACs (Visa Application Centres) in Pakistan located in Islamabad, Lahore, or Karachi. Do NOT mail in your application. Go in person.
• If you are applying under the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) or the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) streams then you must first create an online profile through Express Entry, IRCC’s online portal, and if you qualify and are invited to apply, then you must obtain both a visa and a work permit at your nearest VAC as outlined above.
• If you are applying for family reunification, your application should be mailed to the Case Processing Centre (CPC) in Mississauga at one of the following addresses:
  Spouses, common-law partners and conjugal partners with dependents living outside Canada:

  CPC Mississauga
  P.O. Box 3000 Station A
  Mississauga, ON
  L5A 4N6

  Spouses & common-law partners living in Canada:

  CPC Mississauga
  P.O. Box 5040, Station B
  Mississauga, ON
  L5A 3A4

  Parents & grandparents

  CPC-M-PGP
  P.O. Box 8020, Station T CSC
  Ottawa, ON
  K1G 3H6

  Other family class applications including RPRF payments

  CPC Mississauga
  P.O. Box 6100, Station A
  Mississauga, ON
  L5A 4H4

  If you are sending your application by courier rather than by mail, then use the following addresses:

  Parents & grandparents
  CPC-M-PGP
  P.O. Box 8020, STN T CSC
  Ottawa, ON
  K1G 3H6

  All other applications by courier:

  2 Robert Speck Parkway
  Suite 300
  Mississauga, ON
  L47 1H8

 

2. Confuse your required language score and send it to the wrong place:

Man taking language test [Public Domain]

The Canadian standard for English or French proficiency is the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB). However, you might have taken an IELTS language test in Pakistan in order to provide the required proof that you have sufficient proficiency in English. Do NOT confuse the two scoring systems. They are very close but not quite the same. Remember the CLB sets the required benchmark and then you translate that benchmark into the required score for IELTS. Also, do NOT have your IELTS test results sent directly to IRCC; send them with your application. Otherwise they will not be accepted.

Here is a table clarifying the standards and how they compare.

Immigration Class	CLB Minimum Requirement	iELTS Equivalent
Federal Skilled Worker	CLB 7	6.0 for Speaking, Reading, Writing 6.0-7.0 for Listening
Canadian Experience Class NOC0/NOCA	CLB 7	6.0 for Speaking, Reading, & Writing 6.0 – 7.0 for Listening
Canadian Experience Class NOC B	CLB 5	5.0 for Listening, Writing, & Speaking 4.0 for Reading
FederaL Skilled trades	CLB 5 Speaking & Listening CLB 4 Reading & Writing	5.0 for Listening & Speaking 3.5 for Reading 4.0 for Writing

Remember these are minimum scores. The higher above the minimum your score is, the better your chances of being invited to apply.

 

3. Listing an ineligible dependent

This is an easy mistake to make because of several changes by Canadian immigration authorities over the past few years as to the definition of what a dependent is. To help you avoid this mistake, please follow this flow chart. You should also use IRCC’s web tool found here in order to be sure any child you list is a dependent. This is a tricky one, so make sure you take your time and get it right.

[Click the image for a larger version]

 

4. Paying the wrong amount of fees:

[Public Domain]

This is another easy mistake to make because you have to be sure you have paid all the correct fees and that you have done so in the required manner and that you have saved and printed your payment receipt and added it to your application if you are mailing your application. Here are some of the typical fees you will have to pay if you are applying from Pakistan:

Type of Application	Fee in Canadian Dollars ($)	Fee in Pakistani Rupees (May 2018)
Work Permit (per person)	$155	12,400
Biometrics (per person)	$85	6,800
Biometrics (per family)	$170	13,600
Study Permit (per person)	$150	12,000
Right of Permanent Residence for Express Entry	$490	49,000
Spousal Sponsorship	$1,040	N/A
Spousal Sponsorship (before Right of Permanent Residence Fee)	$550	N/A
Sponsor your Child	$150	N/A
Citizenship Certificate	$75	N/A

 

5. Submitting incorrect photographs with your citizenship application

You must submit photographs that adhere to a specific list of requirements which you should print out from the IRCC website and present to the professional photographer who must provide:

• the name of their photographic studio,
• the address of the studio, and
• the date the photographs were taken.

As well, the dimensions of the photographs must be as follows:

• 50mm by 70mm
• Full front view of head including the top of shoulders
• Non-tinted prescription glasses only may be worn
• Any religious head coverings must not cover the face.

 

6. Incorrectly signing your online application:

Your name that you sign with on an online application form must be exactly the same as the full name you used on the application form. You cannot sign with a different variation of your name. It must be identical. If you are under the age of 18, your parents or guardians must sign the form for you.

As well, when you created your account with IRCC, you will have created 4 security questions (things like: the name of your headmaster in primary school etc.) and you will have to answer 1 of those security questions as part of your online signing of your form. DO NOT forget the exact answer to each security question. They should be answers you know, and you should note them down and keep them in a secure place, just in case.

 

So, there you have 6 mistakes that you should avoid when applying to immigrate to Canada. Avoid them and you will have given your application a better chance of being accepted. Make them and you will delay your application or even cause it to be rejected.