Most refusals aren’t a ban: you can apply again at any time unless your decision letter says you can’t. First find out exactly why you were refused, from the letter and the officer’s decision notes that now come with most refusals. Then choose: reapply with evidence that answers those reasons, ask for reconsideration if there was a clear error, or apply to the Federal Court for judicial review, within 15 days for a matter arising in Canada or 60 days for one arising outside Canada. If you’re in Canada and lost your status, you may be able to restore it within 90 days.
Start with what the letter actually says
Read it next to a copy of what you sent. Find four things: the reason, the rule it comes from, the officer’s notes and, if you are in Canada, any time limits about your status.
The rule, in plain words
Letters often name a section of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) or its Regulations (IRPR). It tells you exactly what the officer needed to be satisfied of. Some you may see:
| Reference | Used for | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| R179(b) | Visitor visa | You will leave Canada by the end of the stay you are allowed. The officer wasn’t satisfied you would. |
| R216(1)(b) | Study permit | The same test: you will leave Canada by the end of your authorized stay. |
| R200(1)(b) | Work permit | The same test, for workers. |
| IRPA s. 40 | Any application | Misrepresentation: a material fact was misrepresented or withheld. It makes you inadmissible for five years. |
What kind of reason is it?
Purpose of your visit, your ties at home, your money. These can change, and better evidence can answer them.
A legal bar, such as a criminal or medical reason. Applying again won’t help unless the reason itself has changed.
A five-year bar. Get advice from a licensed professional before you send IRCC anything else.
Get the officer’s full reasons before you decide
Since 29 July 2025, IRCC has sent officer decision notes with refusal letters for most temporary resident applications, and since 26 May 2026 for most permanent residence applications. The officer who made the final decision writes them.
They cover visitor, super and transit visas; visitor records; study and work permits, including extensions; and permanent residence applications made inside or outside Canada. Not covered: eTAs, temporary resident permits and humanitarian and compassionate applications. Parts of a note may be removed to protect sensitive information.
No notes, or you want the whole file? Request it
If you got no notes, or want your whole file, ask IRCC for it. Applications are stored in IRCC’s Global Case Management System, hence the name GCMS notes.
Choose the law you ask under
A Privacy Act request for your own information is free, and foreign nationals can make one wherever they live. An Access to Information Act request costs $5 and must come from a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person or corporation in Canada, for example a representative asking with your consent.
Have your details ready
Your name, date of birth and your Unique Client Identifier (UCI). Someone asking on your behalf must include IRCC’s consent form (IMM 5744).
Send it online
Use the ATIP Online Request tool on canada.ca, or mail IRCC’s form IMM 5563.
Allow 30 days, sometimes longer
IRCC has 30 days to respond and can extend that. If it does, it must tell you within the 30 days.
The court clock doesn’t wait for your file. The Federal Court deadline keeps running while a request is processed. If judicial review might be right, speak to a lawyer now.
Your four options, and when each one fits
There is no formal appeal for refused visitor visas, study permits or work permits. You can try again, ask the office to look again, ask a court to review the decision or, in Canada, ask to restore lost status.
| Option | What it is | Deadline | Cost | Who can help |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reapply | A new application with information or documents that answer the reasons for refusal. | None, unless your letter says you can’t | The fees for a new application | You, or a licensed consultant or lawyer |
| Reconsideration | An informal request asking the office that decided to reopen its decision, for example over unfairness or a clerical error. | None set, and it doesn’t stop the court clock | No IRCC fee | You, or a licensed consultant or lawyer |
| Judicial review | Asking the Federal Court to review whether the decision was reasonable and fair. A judge must first give permission (leave). | 15 days (in Canada) or 60 days (outside Canada) after you were notified | $50 court filing fee, plus a lawyer’s fees | A lawyer, or you on your own. Not a consultant |
| Restoration | If you are in Canada and lost your temporary status, asking to have it restored. | 90 days after you lost status | $246.25 as a visitor; $396.25 with a study permit; $401.25 with a work permit | You, or a licensed consultant or lawyer |
Reapply: the usual route, once something has changed
IRCC says to apply again only if your situation has changed significantly or you have new information that answers the reasons you were refused.
Reconsideration: for clear errors only
Ask the office that refused you, by web form, email or mail, to reopen the decision. It is discretionary and you must show why it is justified, for example a breach of procedural fairness or a clerical error. IRCC has told Parliament that a large portion of requests are refused, because the original reasons often aren’t resolved.
Judicial review: a court check on the decision
The Court looks at whether the decision was unreasonable or involved an error in law or fairness. A judge first decides in writing whether to grant leave, with no appeal from that. If leave is granted, there is a hearing, and if you win the Court may send your case back to be decided again. Missed the deadline? A judge can allow more time for special reasons, but you must ask in your application.
Restoration: if you are in Canada and out of status
If you lost your status, for example because your permit expired and you didn’t renew it in time, you may be able to restore it within 90 days of losing it, if you still meet the requirements for your stay and haven’t broken other conditions. You can ask to be restored as a visitor if you no longer need a permit. Approval isn’t guaranteed; your letter tells you what to do.
Refused family sponsorship? The sponsor may be able to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), which must receive the appeal within 30 days of receiving the refusal letter. Judicial review is only possible once any right of appeal is used.
Not sure which route fits? Find a licensed consultant who handles refusals to read your letter and notes with you.
Work out your deadline and your options
What next for you?
Tell us what was refused, where, and when you found out. We’ll estimate your Federal Court deadline and show the options that generally fit. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
Federal Court deadline: 15 days after the day you were notified for a matter arising in Canada, 60 days outside Canada. Not sure? Plan on 15 and talk to a lawyer.
Options: reapply with new evidence; ask for reconsideration of a clear error (it doesn’t stop the court clock); judicial review by the deadline. Out of status in Canada: restoration within 90 days. Refused family sponsorship: IAD appeal within 30 days.
Enter the day you were notified
- No formal appeal for temporary residence decisions. These are your routes.
- Reapply with new information that answers the reasons. No deadline, unless your letter says you can’t.
- Ask for reconsideration if there was a clear error, such as unfairness or a clerical mistake. It’s free, but it doesn’t stop the court clock.
- Judicial review at the Federal Court by the date above, through a lawyer or on your own.
- Restore your status if you’re in Canada and lost it: apply within 90 days of losing it. You can’t work or study until it’s approved.
- Family sponsorship? The sponsor may be able to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division within 30 days of receiving the letter. Judicial review comes only after any appeal right is used.
An estimate, not legal advice. Count from the day you were notified and confirm the exact date with a lawyer. Deadlines are strict.
Common reasons, and what actually answers them
Visitors and students must convince an officer that they will leave Canada at the end of their stay and that they have enough money; work permit applicants face the same leave-Canada test. Your notes should tell you which of these, if any, the officer relied on.
Purpose
The officer wasn’t convinced by why you are coming. Explain it consistently across every form, backed by documents.
IRCC’s example: the purpose of your visit has changedTies at home
canada.ca names a job, home, financial assets or family as ties that take you back. Show the ones you have with records, not statements.
Visitor visa: you must convince the officer of these tiesMoney
Visitors need enough for their stay. Students must prove tuition, living expenses and return transportation, for themselves and any family who come.
IRCC’s example: your financial situation has changedIRCC’s examples of changes that may lead to a different decision: a new purpose of visit, a change in your job or finances, approved criminal rehabilitation, or medical reasons that no longer apply. Even then, approval isn’t guaranteed.
Mistakes that make a refusal worse
Reapplying straight away with the same file. The same evidence tends to get the same answer, and another refusal to declare.
Leaving the refusal off your next form. The visitor visa form asks if you have ever been refused a visa or permit, denied entry or ordered to leave Canada or any other country. Answer yes, with details. Withholding a material fact can be misrepresentation.
“Fixing” the story instead of the evidence. False documents or information mean a refusal, a possible ban from Canada of at least five years, and a permanent record of fraud.
- Letting the court deadline pass while you wait on reconsideration. To challenge the original decision, you must still apply for judicial review on time.
- Working or studying after you lose status, before restoration and any new permit are approved.
- Paying someone who promises a better chance next time.
If IRCC writes about a possible misrepresentation before deciding, that is a procedural fairness letter. Read our guide to procedural fairness letters.
Questions people ask
Do I have to wait before applying again?
No. IRCC says you can apply again at any time unless your decision letter says you can’t, but only if you can include information you didn’t include before.
Will I get my fees back?
In most cases, no. Application fees can’t be refunded once IRCC starts processing. Some fees are refunded on a refusal, including the right of permanent residence fee and the open work permit fee for LMIA-exempt workers.
Will hiring a consultant get me approved next time?
No one can promise that: IRCC says a representative doesn’t increase your chances or change an earlier decision. A good one can read the officer’s reasons properly and tell you whether, and when, a new application can answer them.
Parts of my decision notes are blacked out. Why?
IRCC may remove parts to protect secure, private or other sensitive information. If you go to the Federal Court, it can ask for the complete reasons.
Can a consultant take my case to the Federal Court?
No. In the Federal Court you act for yourself or are represented by a lawyer. Consultants can help you reapply or request reconsideration, and L3 consultants can represent you at the Immigration and Refugee Board, for example in a sponsorship appeal.
Sources
- Explaining application refusals: officer decision notes, canada.ca (modified 2026-08-27)
- My application for a visitor visa was refused. Should I apply again?, IRCC help centre (modified 2026-09-28)
- If my immigration application is refused, do I have to wait before I apply again?, IRCC help centre (modified 2026-09-28)
- How do I get help if my temporary residence application is refused?, IRCC help centre (modified 2026-09-28)
- My application was refused. Can I get a refund?, IRCC help centre (modified 2026-09-28)
- How to make a request under the Privacy Act, canada.ca (modified 2018-04-24)
- How to make a request under the Access to Information Act, canada.ca (modified 2023-05-19)
- How long does the Department have to respond?, IRCC help centre (modified 2026-09-28)
- Info Source: personal information banks, canada.ca (modified 2026-06-25)
- Report to Parliament on the super visa income requirement, and special circumstances for all temporary resident visas, canada.ca (modified 2024-10-02)
- Guide 5551: Applying to change conditions or extend your stay in Canada, canada.ca (modified 2026-06-05)
- IRCC fee list, canada.ca (modified 2026-09-21)
- Visitor visa: eligibility, canada.ca (modified 2026-08-28)
- Study permit: eligibility, canada.ca (modified 2026-01-26)
- Guide 5256: Applying for a visitor visa, canada.ca (modified 2026-03-31)
- Consequences of immigration and citizenship fraud, canada.ca (modified 2026-09-01)
- How to file an application for leave and for judicial review (immigration), Federal Court (modified 2022-06-22)
- IRPA, s. 72, s. 40 and s. 63, Justice Laws (current to 2026-09-21)
- IRPR, s. 179 (also s. 200 and s. 216) and s. 182, Justice Laws (current to 2026-09-21)
- Federal Courts Rules, rule 119, Justice Laws (current to 2026-09-21)
- Step 1: File your notice of appeal, Immigration and Refugee Board (modified 2026-09-24)