Waiting is often the hardest part of applying for one of Canada’s many immigration and visa programs. Since the process is complicated, many reasons exist that could be causing a delay. These four reasons are among the top culprits that make applications take longer than expected.
Similar to many other types of government processes, visa applications require that you pay all the applicable fees before the paperwork can be approved. There are a variety of reasons why you may have inadvertently avoided paying the appropriate fees.
Non-Payment Of Fees
One frequent cause for this would be that the fee chart lists dozens of costs associated with different types of applications. Missing a fee in your final tally can cause you to accidentally pay the wrong amount, stalling your application.
Paying fees at a bank is no longer an option for those who need to remit visa fees, which means that those who used payment receipt form IMM 5401 may have had the payment rejected. Many fees are now payable strictly through online means or credit cards. Be sure to check which payment methods are acceptable for each separate fee.
Improper Paperwork
Paperwork and related documentation for your visa application should provide all the needed information that the case officer requires in order to determine the eligibility of your case. When the application received contains errors or omissions, the officer will be forced to request that these mistakes are fixed before the process continues.
Issues such as missing signatures, or areas that haven’t been filled out, are guaranteed to stall the process. If you submit copies of paperwork and documentation that are blurry or difficult to read, you may be asked to resubmit them. The same goes for photos.
The worst case scenario for improper paperwork revolves around the possibility that the immigration officer believes that you’re trying to manipulate the process or falsify information (referred to as "misrepresentation", which can lead to more lengthy delays and other consequences.
