Last Updated: 11 August 2023

Have you heard about “Misrepresentation” in the context of Canadian Immigration?

“Misrepresentation” is regarded as withholding information directly or indirectly. During any Canadian Immigration related application. This can be a visit visa, permanent residence, study permit or any other application type. The main thing to keep in mind though is, it does not have to be intentional in order for it to qualify as a “Misrepresentation”.

If you have hired a licensed consultant or a lawyer to deal with your immigration application. You as the applicant are still responsible for making sure that the information in the application is correct and to the best of your knowledge. Canadian Immigration and other government agencies conduct extensive checks on a person’s background and all available information, before welcoming them to Canada.

Misrepresentation comes with extreme consequences depending on specific cases. An example would be, if the misrepresentation is found in the case of a person who has come to Canada on a Study Permit, their Study Permit may be revoked. Also, they could be banned for a period of 5 years, from making any applications with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This includes all types of applications, including PR applications. Bringing a tragic end to either study, visit, or migrate to Canada permanently. Misrepresentation is usually extremely difficult to overcome, there is no real justification to not be truthful in the context of Canadian Immigration.

We will now take a look at some examples of Misrepresentation.

One such example would be often in Canadian Immigration forms it is asked, whether you have been refused visa of any country. Out of ignorance or not really reading it properly, if you simply tick “no” and in fact, you have been refused a visa for (example, United States or the United Kingdom, or any other country). This is a classic and a very simplistic example of “Misrepresentation”.

Other examples include forging work experience letters, educational certificates, language test results, police clearance certificates, to name a few.

The above is not a conclusive list of what is “Misrepresentation”. The best course of action is always to be truthful in all your applications with Canadian Immigration and other government agencies.

The main reason why many face misrepresentation is acting upon the advice of unlicensed and unauthorized consultants. Also, many applicants tend to follow unverified and incomplete information available on various unofficial sources of information, websites and social media channels like Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, to name a few.

A safer and better idea is to deal with a Certified Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC). An  RCIC who is well versed with the Canadian Immigration System. RCIC will ensure quality service and help you avoid any potential future issues with your Canadian Immigration Application.

If you’re ever unsure about anything or need help understanding immigration regulations, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a qualified immigration professional for assistance.

You can book a consultation for case-specific queries.