From time immemorial, Canada looks out to welcome a lot of people into the country as permanent residents and the number heightens as the year goes by. In the year 2019, Canada welcomed about 341,000 people from all over the world, and in the year 2021, about 351,000 permanent residents gained access into the country and even more (361,000) in 2022 according to studies.
Using this approach, bit by bit, Canada has increased their immigration level. The number of people immigrating to Canada increases if not for anything but for the incredible advantages attached to it such as job opportunities and the fulfillment of skills and labor shortages across the country.
If you are prepared to be the next in line to ace it the first time when you apply for permanent residence in Canada? Then, all you need to do is to adhere to our top 12 tips to preparing your Canada PR application to submit to Immigration Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and they are:
12 Tips On How To Submit A Successful Permanent Residence Application
1. Search for the best out of over 100 visa programs you are eligible for
It is interesting to know that Canada has various immigration programs within its three vast classifications (economic, family class, refugee, and humanitarian) and what this implies is that in Canada, you have more chances of qualifying for a visa compared to other top immigration destinations with limited available options.
Take note of the fact that some of the Canadian programs are based on points, others are first-come, first-served, and if you are applying for some of them, you may require a sponsor while others do not. Moreover, some of the immigration programs have limited targets that can be taken, therefore, the program does not remain open for a long time while some are tailor-made to occupy temporary skills shortages.
Unfortunately, you may find it hard to figure out the right program for you and your family as a result of the numerous programs available. You may be wondering how to start? You may also be wondering what the eligibility requirements are? How can you shortlist your best options? Feel free to employ the use of our immigration guide to make sure that you know the best pathway for you before delving into it.
2. Put into consideration the act of seeking professional help of RCICs and/or representation from an expert
No doubt, we understand that the first step can be daunting, this is why we recommend that you seek professional help from Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) since there are legally authorized representatives amongst them who are members in good relationship with the immigration consultants of the Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) and provide answers to any form of questions for you, and if you desire, they can provide representation on your behalf to the Canadian immigration authorities to ensure you get optimal results from the beginning to the end.
3. Gather your documents even if you have not been asked to submit them.
You will be required to provide certain documents in the course of your permanent residency application process, and sadly, some of these documents can take so much time like months before they are made available to you simply because of the slower procedure in your resident country. Express Entry system which is one of the immigration programs requires you to submit your permanent residency application to the IRCC in the space of 60 days.
Resist every temptation to wait until the date of submission is officially announced before you can start gathering your documents, if not, you may risk missing the application deadline. One of such documents that take a lot of time before they can be made ready is a police background check. For some countries, it just takes the law enforcement agencies days or weeks with little or no fuss to issue these background checks while some other countries can complete the background checks at a slower pace, thereby taking months before the documents are issued.
4. Cross-check the expiration dates of your documents.
In most cases, the reason why permanent residence applications are rejected or delayed is sometimes not as a result of the candidate’s disqualification but because the applicant did not go through the instructions, confirm an assumption, address a concern or mistakenly submit an already expired document. Irrespective of the fact that we earlier advised that you should put your documents together in advance, however, there are certain documents with shorter expiry dates and you should keep them in mind.
You can avoid the aforementioned risk if you carefully go through the material, check and double-check the document checklist, and talk to a professional who can provide answers to your questions, and address your concerns if at all there is any.
5. Obey instructions
During your Canada PR application, you will be provided with a specific checklist by the IRCC based on the immigration program you are applying to because there is no particular checklist for immigration to Canada. Note that the checklist has been developed according to your unique circumstances, and it is expedient that you obey the instructions.
There are so many things you should also pay attention to when trying to fill out the government forms for Canadian immigration, watch out for spelling mistakes, illegible handwriting, and not correctly addressing a question because these are the things that could make them send back your application and in worst cases, even reject it.
This can be mitigated by reading the instructions carefully, for example, if a question does not pertain to your case, you are required to write N/A instead of abandoning it to interpretation.
6. Give only correct information in your Canada PR application (Do not ever lie)
In case you have intentions of attaching a few more hours of work experience to your application, you should, by all means, resist the urge to lie during this process because it could greatly endanger your chances of pursuing a new life in Canada.
Besides, the IRCC considers lying on an immigration application as a ‘misinterpretation’ and they do not take it lightly, you can be criminally prosecuted or banned from getting into Canada in the next 5 years.
In addition to this, if for any reason you are unable to provide the answers to the questions on the list, IRCC may be open to receiving a letter giving explanation including a letter to back up your claims and you must be specific about it especially when explaining why you were unable to submit certain documents.
7. Do not leave gaps when writing about your life history
You may be wondering why you are advised not to leave any gaps in time of your Canada PR application. It is simple – The IRCC, during your immigration process, requires a thorough report of your personal history and once they notice any gap in your timeline, they would want to enquire where you have been, why you were there, and when you went there. Such gaps make them raise an eyebrow.
As a result of this, your application may be delayed or worst still, rejected. You must give an account of your life for the past 10 years including your study, travel history (countries visited, why and for how long), employment, and even period of unemployment.
Funny enough, it may seem as though this is impossible, but it is achievable. Go through your itineraries and email archives, they are good points to start, check the stamps in your passport if you are not sure of the exact date you entered or left a country, it should be available in your travel documents if you need help remembering it.
Furthermore, we advise you to provide more information than what is required to cover all your bases if you can.
8. If there is any change in circumstance, notify IRCC
The IRCC online web form was made available for you to use in reaching out to them in case of any change(s) in your situation through the use of the IRCC online web form. Such changes could be an addition to your family (a newborn or spouse) especially if you want the person to accompany you to Canada, an address change, completion of a higher level of education, divorced or separated and so on.
You should try and keep the IRCC updated on any of such developments as your application is being processed.
9. Keep a record of expiry dates
Earlier on, we discussed why it is important to keep the expiry dates of your document in mind. You should consider setting up reminders for yourself through a calendar if by any means you find it difficult to remember everything through a calendar as this will assist you to personally stay at the helm of affairs when it comes to your application.
We have listed below some of the documents that will be required in your Canada PR application and we advise that you keep track of their expiry dates:
- Passport
- Work/study permit
- Police background check
- Bank statement
- Language test results
- Medical assessment
- Invitation to apply
10. Get copies of each of your documents
It is expedient that at every point in time during your immigration process, you should keep copies of your documents and submitted forms whether they are in physical or electronic form. In addition to this, if you are applying via Express Entry profile, take photographs of the various pages of your profile as you go through the process before submission of the actual Canada Permanent Residence form.
Above all, we strongly recommend storing your documents safely in an electronic form, because you never can tell when you may need to refer to some aspect of your application along the line, also ensure that your scanner is your friend.
11. Interact with people that have gone through the same process
Always know that you are neither the first nor the last person to apply for immigration to Canada, therefore look out for people who have either been through this process successfully or going through it and interact with them.
By so doing, you will get relevant information, avoid certain mistakes, and get solutions to solve problems that may come up.
12. Get ready for your interview
Just before you start panicking, you should note that not everyone who applied will be invited for an immigration interview, because this interview is based on the category of immigration you applied for.
For instance, people who fell under the Skilled immigration category such as Express Entry applicants are not required to attend an interview. Whether you are granted PR status or not depends on this interview that is why it is as important as your application. The documents you need to bring along while coming, the time, and the venue of the interview will be sent to you by the IRCC.
During the interview, below are the well-known questions that you could be asked;
- Could there be any reason why you should want to relocate to Canada?
- If you move to Canada today, what could be your greatest challenge?
- Do you have any reason whatsoever to want to leave your home country?
- Can you list the Canadian provinces that you know, if you do know any?
- Are you aware of the average cost of living in Canada?
- Is there any relation of yours in Canada ( either family or friends)?
- If your application is declined, what would be your next step of action?
Lastly, we strongly recommend that you consult with an RCIC before you proceed to submit if you want to make sure that your best chances of getting approval on your Canadian permanent residency application get increased.