Statutory inadmissibility and serious legal grounds
Criminal inadmissibility
This is a legal finding, not an evidence gap. Speak to a Canadian immigration lawyer or an RCIC before you apply again.
What this means
Certain convictions or acts committed in or outside Canada can make a foreign national criminally inadmissible, depending on Canadian legal equivalency and the facts.
Why it matters to the officer
Criminal inadmissibility is a legal threshold issue, not a normal “ties” problem. IRCC notes that criminal conduct, including impaired driving in some circumstances, can affect admissibility.
What the officer compares
Exact offence, jurisdiction, conviction/disposition, sentence, date completed, Canadian equivalent and whether rehabilitation/record-suspension rules may apply.
How to strengthen a new application
Obtain complete court/police records and legal advice where needed. Some applicants may be eligible for deemed rehabilitation, individual rehabilitation or a temporary resident permit depending on the circumstances.
Common mistakes
Assuming an offence is “minor” because it was minor in the home country; omitting charges/convictions; relying on a local police certificate alone to determine Canadian legal equivalency.
- Assuming an offence is “minor” because it was minor in the home country
- omitting charges/convictions
- relying on a local police certificate alone to determine Canadian legal equivalency
Illustrative exampleTwo offences with similar labels can have different Canadian consequences; exact legal analysis matters.
Before you apply again
IRCC now sends the officer’s decision note with most temporary-resident refusals since 29 July 2025, so check what came with your refusal first. The decision note or GCMS notes guide explains the difference, and the decoder explains the codes in them.
Scope noteIRCC does not publish an official ranked list of refusal reasons. This is a research-based classification of the legal grounds and evidence weaknesses that recur in real refusals. A weak itinerary or a new job is not itself a statutory ground — it affects whether the officer is satisfied under IRPR 179(b). This page is general information, not legal advice.
Where this comes from
Drawn from the Government of Canada’s published law and guidance. Check us against these pages:
Questions about this refusal
Not sure this is why you were refused?
Check first whether IRCC sent you the officer’s decision note with the refusal. For the fuller record, we can request your GCMS notes for you, or you can request them yourself, free, subject to what IRCC withholds.
Have us request them for youDo it yourself or let us do it?
