R220 — you did not prove you can pay for your studies and living

You can ask IRCC for your own notes yourself, free. Or we can do it for you: CAIPS Notes, ₹499C$29US$19, GST includedthe total we charge. See what is included.

What does R220 say?

IRCC tells its officers that refusal letters “should refer to the appropriate legislative provision(s)”. So the code on your letter points to a rule in the law. These are its exact words.

You may also see it written as: R220 · IRPR 220 · section 220 of the IRPR · R 220

What does R220 mean for you?

Read the law closely. The money must be “sufficient” and “available”. That means enough, and really yours to use.

It must cover three things: tuition, living costs, and travel to and from Canada. It must also cover family members who come with you.

An R220 refusal is not always about the total. It can be about where the money came from. IRCC says it will assess the amount of your funds “and their source”.

A big deposit just before you apply proves little. Officers also check the person paying for you. Their income must explain the money shown.

IRCC lists the living-cost amount on its study permit page. The amount is updated each year, so check it on the day you apply.

What might your notes show?

Every file is different. Your decision note or GCMS notes may record:

• Which account, deposit or loan the officer doubted
• Whether the officer thought the total was too low
• Comments on your sponsor's income

IRCC may hold back some lines.

Why do officers write R220?

These situations can lead to it. Your notes, or the officer's decision note, may name the one in your case.

• A large deposit a few days or weeks before you applied
• Money held by a distant relative, or a sponsor with no clear link to you
• Bank statements with no income trail behind them: salary, business income or rent
• A loan letter with no proof the loan can actually be paid out
• Enough for tuition, but not for living costs or travel
• A sponsor's income tax returns that do not match the balance shown

What can you fix before you apply again?

Answer the concern the officer actually named. Changing everything else at once can make a file look staged.

• Show steady balances over months, not one big number. IRCC's list of common documents includes bank statements for the past 6 months
• Explain every large deposit with a paper: a sale deed, a matured fixed deposit, business income
• Match the sponsor to the money: their tax returns, salary slips or business accounts
• Cover everything: tuition, living costs and travel, not just first-year fees
• Think about a GIC (a Guaranteed Investment Certificate from a Canadian financial institution). IRCC lists it as a common proof of funds

How can you see the officer's real reason?

IRCC now sends the officer's decision note with most refusals. That covers most temporary-resident refusals since 29 July 2025. It also covers most permanent-residence refusals since 26 May 2026.

IRCC sends the note with the refusal letter, to you or to your representative. It may remove some parts.

Your GCMS notes can show more. GCMS is IRCC's case system, and the notes are what officers wrote in it. They can include the case history and earlier notes. IRCC may hold back some lines.

You can ask IRCC for your own records yourself. It is free, from anywhere in the world, under Canada's Privacy Act. Since 13 July 2022, that right is “extended to include all individuals outside Canada”. See how to do it yourself.

Or we can file the records request for you: CAIPS Notes, ₹499C$29US$19, GST includedthe total we charge. Already have your notes? We can give you a plain-English written reading for ₹699C$39US$25, GST includedthe total we charge.

General information, not legal advice.Every file is different, and nothing here predicts the result of an application. We are not Canadian lawyers or RCICs. Our licence is from Punjab, India; it is not a Canadian licence. For a misrepresentation finding (A40), speak to a Canadian immigration lawyer or an RCIC first.