Refused while living in Canada?

IRCC now sends the officer's decision note with most refusals: temporary-resident applications refused since 29 July 2025 (visitor visas, super and transit visas, visitor records, study and work permits and their extensions) and permanent-residence applications refused since 26 May 2026. It does not send them for eTAs, temporary resident permits or humanitarian and compassionate applications.

IRCC says: “Canadian travellers don't need a visa or an eTA to enter Canada.” That means Canadian citizens and permanent residents. An eTA is an electronic travel authorization. If you live in Canada on another passport, IRCC says what you need “will depend on your citizenship and nationality, how you're travelling (by air, land or sea), and what documents you're travelling with”. IRCC also says: “If you need a visa, make sure it's still valid if you leave and plan to re-enter Canada.” One exception: if you have valid status in Canada, as a visitor, student or worker, and you only visited the US or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, IRCC says you do not need a visa or an eTA to come back.

Asking the Federal Court to review an IRCC decision is called judicial review. The law gives 15 days for a matter arising in Canada, and 60 days for one arising outside Canada. The days start after you are told of the decision, or otherwise learn of it. Whether your refusal counts as arising in Canada is a legal question, so you may have only 15 days. Speak to a Canadian lawyer straight away. Your notes can take longer than 15 days to arrive. Thinking of Federal Court review? IRCC says to state in your application that you have not received the reasons for refusal, even if you received a decision note. The law also says a judge can allow more time, but only “for special reasons”. We do not go to court for anyone, and we do not represent anyone in a visa, permit or PR application.

If you applied to extend your stay before your permit or visitor stay ran out, and it ran out while IRCC worked on your extension, you could stay in Canada while you waited. This is called maintained status. IRCC's instructions to its officers say that if the extension is refused, you are “considered in status until the day the decision is made”. They also say the 90 days to apply to restore your status begin “on the date of refusal”. So on maintained status, you count the 90 days from the day of the refusal, not from the date on your old permit.

If your status in Canada has run out, you may be able to apply to restore it. IRCC says: “We must receive your application to restore your status no more than 90 days after your status expired.” If you were on maintained status, your 90 days start on the day of the refusal (see above). If you are restoring a work permit, IRCC says you normally cannot work until your status is restored and your new work permit is issued. If the restoration is refused, IRCC says you will have to leave Canada. We do not advise on restoration.

Inside Canada, you do not give biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) at a visa application centre (VAC). IRCC says you give them “at a designated Service Canada office”. You book an appointment through the eServiceCanada Appointment Booking Tool. IRCC says: “Don't go to a Service Canada office unless you have a scheduled appointment.”

Everything happens on WhatsApp: you never visit an office or send an original. Send photos or PDFs in the WhatsApp chat after you order. No originals, no courier, no office visit.

Our office hours are Mon–Sat, 10am–7pm IST. In Toronto and Montréal (Eastern time) that is 12:30am–9:30am. Send a WhatsApp message any time and we reply in office hours.

We file within 24 hours of receiving your payment, documents and signed consent form (1 hour on Premium, during office hours). For a file without its application number there is no set hour, because it can need extra steps first. The law gives IRCC 30 days from receiving a request to reply, and lets it extend that by sending a notice.