Employment, family and home-country ties
Residence, property or asset ties are poorly documented or overstated
Not a statutory bar. It affects whether the officer is satisfied, and better evidence can change that.
What this means
The applicant claims substantial property, investments or a permanent home but provides weak ownership evidence or values that appear unsupported.
Why it matters to the officer
IRCC identifies a home and financial assets as examples of ties. However, property is not a mandatory requirement and ownership alone does not prove temporary intent.
What the officer compares
Ownership records, encumbrances, actual residence, rental arrangements, valuation basis and whether the assets are genuinely the applicant’s.
How to strengthen a new application
Use reliable ownership evidence and explain relevance. Avoid unsupported market values. Where the applicant rents their home, show stable residence rather than pretending property ownership is essential.
Common mistakes
Inflated valuation certificates; property owned by parents presented as applicant’s own; agricultural land documents without explaining ownership share.
- Inflated valuation certificates
- property owned by parents presented as applicant’s own
- agricultural land documents without explaining ownership share
Illustrative exampleA salaried tenant with strong employment and family ties can have a stronger case than a property owner with no credible purpose or finances.
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?
