Living in the US 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.

IRCC says what you need depends on your citizenship and nationality, how you travel, and the documents you travel with. With a valid US passport, you need no Canadian visa and no eTA (an online travel approval). With a valid US green card, you need no visa and no eTA, whatever your passport. To fly, carry a valid passport from your own country and your green card. By land or water straight from the US, your green card is enough: you do not have to show your passport. In the US on a work or student visa? Your passport's rule applies. With some passports, a valid US visa lets you fly in on an eTA instead (see below).

IRCC lists two visa application centres (VACs) in the United States.

Some passports that need a visitor visa can use an eTA instead, if you hold a valid US non-immigrant visa. That is the US visa in your passport. As of 24 September 2026, IRCC's list includes Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Your US visa must be valid on the day you apply for the eTA. This works only when you fly to Canada. By car, bus, train or boat, you still need a visitor visa. India is not on IRCC's list.

Biometrics means your fingerprints and photo. In the US you can give them at an Application Support Center (ASC) or at a VAC. You must already be in the US legally to go to either one. Book an ASC on the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website. Booking the appointment is free: do not pay anyone to book one.

A US citizen does not give biometrics to visit Canada, or for a work or study permit or its extension. A US citizen applying for permanent residence (PR) does give them, unless under 14 or over 79 on the day of applying.

If you are in Canada and go to the US, you generally cannot come straight back and apply for a work permit at the border. This is called “flagpoling”. US citizens and US green-card holders are an exception: they can still apply there, if they meet the other rules for the permit. Nobody can apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) at the border.

Family sponsorship means a relative who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident sponsors you to become a permanent resident (PR) of Canada. In 2024, 4,665 US citizens became permanent residents this way. That put the US 4th of all countries, after India, the Philippines and China.

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 New York and Washington (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.