Living in the UK and refused by 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.

Living in the UK does not change the rule: your passport (your citizenship) decides it. British citizens need an eTA (electronic travel authorization) to fly to Canada, not a visa. So do holders of some other British passports, such as British national overseas. If you live in the UK on another passport, your passport's rule applies: Indian, Nigerian and Pakistani citizens, for example, need a visitor visa.

IRCC lists one visa application centre (VAC) in the UK, in London. Its list has none in Manchester, Edinburgh or Belfast. If you have to give biometrics (fingerprints and a photo), you book an appointment there.

IRCC counts visit, study and work applications under “United Kingdom and Overseas Territories”. IRCC does not say if this means British citizens or people applying from the UK. If you are not British, you may be counted under your own country instead. From IRCC's figures, we worked out how many were not approved (refused or withdrawn). In January to July 2026 it was 13.2%, against 32.9% for all countries together. That is much lower, but it is still about 3,000 applications a year.

• 2024: IRCC finished 21,540 applications and approved 18,415. Not approved: 3,125 (14.5%).
• 2025: IRCC finished 21,025 and approved 18,020. Not approved: 3,005 (14.3%).
• January to July 2026: IRCC finished 17,020 and approved 14,780. Not approved: 2,240 (13.2%).
• All countries together: 42.8% not approved in 2024, 40.4% in 2025 and 32.9% in January to July 2026. The 2025 figure includes an unusual one-month jump in Ukraine's figures.

British citizens visiting on an eTA do not give biometrics (fingerprints and a photo). You usually do give them if you apply for a study or work permit (IEC gives a work permit), or for a visitor visa, for example on an Indian passport. If you have given biometrics before, IRCC says you may not need to give them again.

British citizens can apply to International Experience Canada (IEC) in three categories: Working Holiday, Young Professionals and International Co-op (Internship). All three are for ages 18 to 35. You can take part in IEC twice, in any category: the first time for up to 24 months, the second time for up to 12 months. Young Professionals needs a signed job offer or contract before you send your IEC profile (your entry into IRCC's list of candidates).

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 the United Kingdom that is 5:30am–2:30pm. 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.