Many potential emigrants decide to submit their immigration applications without any assistance from a legal representative. Why? Their reasons often range from insufficient funds for costly lawyers, to self-confidence and presumption they simply do not need legal help.

As you know, Canadian immigration forms – whether in their paper or online versions – are full of detailed questions on various topics, including education, employment, prior addresses, details on family members, especially dependants, as well as criminal and immigration history to Canada (e.g. have you ever been accused or imprisoned for any crime, have you ever applied for or been denied a visa to Canada or other countries, etc.). Seemingly a straight-forward task, filling out IMM forms can often cause trouble due to intentional or inadvertent hiding or distorting of personal data, or simple ignorance of one’s own resume and reluctance to make the effort to recall or check own information. Meanwhile, the forms must be filled out truthfully, completely, and consistently. Do not leave any blank spaces or information gaps. Lack of information causes delays and may lead to possible rejection.

When completing your immigration application and in subsequent communications with any officers representing the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), please note the following:

• TELL THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. All information that you provide to the IRCC must be true. Providing false information or omitting information to mislead is treated equally to a lie and might lead to severe punishment. In the best-case scenario, such a person will have his application refused in its entirety. That includes waste of efforts, time, and money as governmental fees are often non-reimbursable upon application refusal. In the worst case, such an applicant receives a departure order with the inability to apply for any visa for at minimum 5 years. Perceived as committing a crime, you might also be given a permanent record of fraud with the Canadian government. Hence, even after these five years, the possibility of obtaining any future visa may be very limited due to the person’s lack of credibility.
• STAY CONSISTENT. All information that you have ever provided – be it for a permanent or temporary stay in Canada – remains in the system and each subsequent application verifies the newly received information with those already in said system. Inconsistencies can lead to not only prolonged processing time, but also an ultimate denial of your application as your trustworthiness begins to appear, at least, questionable.
• REMEMBER YOUR TRAVEL HISTORY. Entries and departures from Canada are recorded by border offices and can be easily checked by immigration officers in all of Canada. This means that when you attempt to re-enter Canada, an officer can without much effort check your last entry into Canada, which in some cases, might inadvertently disclose that you happened to overstay your welcome in the past due to lapsed or lost legal status.
• US-CANADA TRAVELS ARE ALSO PART OF YOUR TRAVEL HISTORY. People who have entered the United States in the past and ran into any immigration or criminal trouble in the neighboring country, should remember that cooperation between Canada and the US also covers the scope of information exchange serving the needs of emigration. Omitting facts or events from the USA directly threatens your immigration application in Canada. Of course, you are obliged to provide true data from all countries, not only the US, however, the topic of keeping secret some US-related information repeats itself more frequently.
• REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW FOR TYPOS AND ERRORS. Double-check your application before submitting it. Innocent errors and typographical mistakes do happen, but the most important thing is to spot them yourself and make any necessary corrections as soon as possible. Signatures on applications, including electronic signatures, certify the accuracy of the complete information provided and therefore, cast the direct responsibility onto the applicant.

If still in doubt over your IMM forms, consider turning to a lawyer for a review of your application. There are immigration specialists, who will assist in a limited scope, without ongoing legal representation, to ensure that you filled out your forms correctly, and for adjusted, lower pricing.