Canada refusing PR applications without salary proof, especially for cash-paid roles: Immigration expert

Canada’s immigration department appears to be tightening its scrutiny of permanent residency (PR) applications, with new refusals reportedly linked to how applicants were paid during their employment.

According to immigration consultant Kubeir Kamal, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has started refusing PR applications for failing to demonstrate remuneration for declared work experience, particularly in cases where salaries were paid in cash.

“IRCC is tightening further screws on PR applications by refusing applications for failing to demonstrate remuneration for declared work experience. Translation, IRCC is refusing PR applications with work experience with a cash salary,” Kamal wrote in an X post.

He added that these rejections are happening without Procedural Fairness Letters (PFLs), a step typically used by IRCC to give applicants an opportunity to clarify or supplement their documentation before a refusal.

“I am sure many of these will line up for JRs and would probably be ‘allowed’ since the law does not insist upon the method of remuneration. I have seen 3 such cases in the last 2 days,” Kamal noted, describing the issue as “a developing story.”

Immigration professionals say this new approach raises important legal questions. Canadian immigration law does not explicitly require a specific method of remuneration, meaning payment through bank transfer, cheque, or cash should technically all qualify as valid proof of paid employment, provided it can be verified.

Several recent cases suggest that judicial reviews (JRs) may soon challenge this position, potentially forcing the IRCC to clarify its stance or issue new guidance on acceptable forms of remuneration proof for PR applications, Kamal mentioned further.