Avoid These Common Mistakes When Submitting Your PR Application!

Avoid These Common Mistakes When Submitting Your PR Application!

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued a comprehensive 447-page training guide for officers who are assessing permanent residence (PR) applications. The document includes real case examples and outlines recommended decisions based on specific application details. Through these examples, IRCC highlights frequent errors made by applicants - such as incomplete documentation or unclear explanations - that can result in further scrutiny or outright refusal of their applications. The guide serves both as an internal reference for officers and a valuable insight for applicants seeking to avoid common pitfalls.

Failing to report updates to personal circumstances 

Applicants must report any personal changes to IRCC. Not doing so can be seen as misrepresentation, leading to application refusal and a possible five-year immigration ban.

Example: Priya receives an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency while employed full-time in a skilled position. Shortly after, she resigns from her job but does not inform IRCC of this change. During the application review, officers discover the employment change, which impacts her eligibility and CRS score. Because she failed to declare this significant change, her application is refused and flagged for potential misrepresentation.

Solution: Priya should have promptly informed IRCC about her job change to maintain transparency. This would allow a fair reassessment of her application, reduce the risk of refusal or misrepresentation, and help preserve her chances for permanent residency. 

Providing insufficient evidence of work experience

Canadian immigration programs specify clear eligibility requirements for work experience, and immigration officers are trained to verify that applicants satisfy these minimum standards.

Example: Ahmed worked as an electrician for over 15 years but had gaps in his employment history. When he applied in 2025, immigration officers found that he did not have at least one continuous year of full-time work experience between 2015 and 2025, which is required by the program. Many of his jobs before 2015 were outside the eligibility period, so despite his long career, he failed to meet the current work experience criteria.

Solution: Carefully review the timeframe requirements for work experience in your immigration program. Make sure you have at least one continuous year of eligible work within the specified period and keep detailed records to prove your employment history falls within the required dates.

Providing expired or invalid language test documentation

Immigration programs require candidates to meet specific language proficiency criteria, similar to work experience requirements. Applicants must achieve the minimum scores, use tests from IRCC-approved organizations, and ensure their results are current and suitable for their application type. For example, the TOEFL iBT is valid for study permits but not for permanent residence applications. Accepted language tests are valid for two years, and results must still be valid when submitting a permanent residence application.

Example: Michael receives an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency under the Federal Skilled Worker Program on March 10, 2023. He submits his application on April 5, 2023, including language test results dated February 15, 2021. Although his scores meet the required level, the test results are over two years old by the application submission date, rendering them invalid for the PR application.

Solution: Always verify that your language test results are not only from an IRCC-approved provider but also valid within the two-year timeframe at the time of application submission. If your test results have expired, retake the exam to ensure your application meets the language proficiency requirements.

Failing to complete the required medical and police checks

Some individuals can be refused entry to Canada due to inadmissibility, which may arise from criminal, financial, medical, security, or misrepresentation issues. Even if an applicant meets all eligibility criteria, their application can be rejected if they - or their family members - are deemed inadmissible under Canadian immigration law.

Example: Raj meets all the requirements for the Express Entry program. However, during the background checks, it is discovered that he has a past criminal conviction for a minor offense. Because of this, Raj is considered inadmissible under Canadian immigration law.

Solution: It is important to understand the various grounds that can cause inadmissibility, including criminal history. In cases like Raj’s, applicants may explore options such as applying for a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) or Criminal Rehabilitation, which can waive inadmissibility depending on the nature of the offense and the time elapsed. Consulting with an experienced immigration lawyer or consultant is crucial to assess eligibility and guide applicants through the process of overcoming criminal inadmissibility.

Applying with inaccurate NOC codes

Immigration officers carefully evaluate applicants’ job duties to verify they correspond with the National Occupational Classification (NOC) lead statement and essential responsibilities, rather than just the job title. If an applicant submits a NOC code that doesn’t accurately represent their duties - especially if those duties fall under a lower-skilled or ineligible occupation - the application may be refused or subjected to further review.

The NOC system is Canada’s standardized method for categorizing occupations based on the necessary training, education, experience, and responsibilities required for each role.

Example: Carlos from Mexico applied under the Federal Skilled Worker program, listing his occupation as Software Engineer. However, the duties he described in his application aligned more closely with those of a Computer Programmer, which is classified under a different NOC code with different requirements. Because of this mismatch, his application was flagged for additional review.

Solution: Carefully analyse your actual job duties and compare them with the NOC lead statement and essential responsibilities for each relevant occupation. Choose the NOC code that best matches your work experience to avoid delays or refusals. Consulting official NOC resources or seeking advice from an immigration professional can help ensure you select the correct code.

For example, consider Lisa, who works in a retail company. Her official job title is “Sales Manager,” which might correspond to NOC code 06010 – Sales, Marketing, and Advertising Managers. However, upon review, Lisa’s actual duties focus mainly on processing customer orders and handling transactions, which align more closely with NOC code 64101 - Retail Salespersons.

Because Lisa’s job duties do not match her declared NOC code, her application could be subject to further review or even refusal if she had relied solely on her job title.

Misjudging the requirements for immigration program eligibility

Thoroughly understanding the specific requirements of the permanent residency program is crucial to avoid errors.

Example: David applies for permanent residency through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), listing his work experience as a part-time barista while he was studying full-time at a Canadian university. Although he worked more than 20 hours per week during school breaks, much of his work occurred concurrently with his full-time studies, which does not meet the CEC requirement for eligible work experience.

Solution: To qualify for the Canadian Experience Class, work experience must be paid, as an employee (not self-employed), gained outside full-time study periods, fall under specific NOC categories, be performed in Canada with proper work authorization, match the claimed job duties, total at least one year of full-time hours, and be obtained within three years before applying.

David should focus on accumulating at least one year of full-time (or equivalent part-time) paid work experience gained after completing his studies and while holding valid work authorization, such as a post-graduation work permit. He can delay his application until he meets these criteria or consider gaining additional eligible work experience in Canada. Consulting with an immigration professional can help him plan the timing and documentation needed to meet CEC requirements successfully.

Check if you qualify to migrate to Canada. Check out Owlspriority Immigration’s Canada Settlement Resources to learn about finding employment in Canada, making your initial days stress-free, etc.