IRCC publishes a global visitor-visa refusal rate. It does not publish one by nationality.
The May 4, 2026 committee note gives 51% for 2025, 54% for 2024, and 39% for 2023. It does not give India, Nigeria, or any other country.
IRCC’s May 4, 2026 note to Parliament says the 2025 global temporary resident visa refusal rate was 51%, against 54% in 2024 and 39% in 2023. That note does not publish a rate for any nationality.
The published rate is one number for every TRV
The note’s words are “global temporary resident visa refusal rate.” 2025 was 51%. 2024 was higher, at 54%. 2023 was 39%. The same paragraph says the vast majority of those applications were refused because an officer was not satisfied the applicant would leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay. That is the test in IRPR 179(b), which is also what the refusal letter usually cites.
A later bullet on the same page is a different statistic. As of February 28, 2026, approval rates for temporary resident applications in calendar year 2026 included 54% for temporary resident visas, with 212,000 TRVs approved. Do not subtract that from 51% or call it the 2026 refusal rate. One is a full-year refusal rate. The other is a partial-year approval rate.
A country percentage needs its own table
The May 4 note does not list India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China, or any other citizenship. If a post says “72% of Indian visitor visas were approved” and the citation is not an IRCC table or a specific access-to-information release, it is not this committee note. Volume and scrutiny differ by office. That does not turn the global 51% into a nationality score.
Misrepresentation is the one split the note does give inside the refusal pile. 7.1% of all visitor visa refusals were for misrepresentation in 2025, against an overall average of 4.6% for 2024. That is still not a country rate. Hiding a prior refusal is the form question on IMM 5257, and the statute for withholding a material fact is IRPA 40.
Canada visitor visa refusal rate FAQ
What visitor-visa refusal rate did IRCC give Parliament for 2025, 2024, and 2023?
On May 4, 2026, IRCC’s note to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration said the 2025 global temporary resident visa refusal rate was 51%, compared with 54% in 2024 and 39% in 2023. The same note says the vast majority of those refusals were because an officer was not satisfied the applicant would leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay.
Does that May 4, 2026 note publish a refusal rate for India, Nigeria, or any other nationality?
No. The figures in that note are global. It does not give a refusal rate by country of citizenship. A percentage for one nationality that does not cite an IRCC table or an ATIP release is not this number.
Is the 54% figure for early 2026 the same statistic as the 51% for 2025?
No. As of February 28, 2026, the same note reports a 54% approval rate for temporary resident visas in calendar year 2026, and 212,000 TRVs approved. That is a partial-year approval rate. The 51% is the full-year 2025 refusal rate.
What share of visitor-visa refusals did IRCC attribute to misrepresentation in 2025?
7.1% of all visitor visa refusals were for misrepresentation in 2025. The note compares that with the overall average for 2024, which was 4.6%. That is a share of refusals, not a share of all applications.
Watch the questions, the analysis, and the evidence
Check out this video to learn about answering a number of questions, get free analysis and personalized evidences for your application.
8 major factors Canada visa officer checks
| Officer checks | What they may look at |
|---|---|
Why Canada? Tourism, family visit, event, business, etc.; itinerary; duration; whether the activities make sense | Why Canada? Tourism, family visit, event, business, etc.; itinerary; duration; whether the activities make sense |
Employment, business, property, spouse, children, family responsibilities, studies, other obligations | Employment, business, property, spouse, children, family responsibilities, studies, other obligations |
Job stability, position, salary, length of employment, approved leave, business ownership and activity | Job stability, position, salary, length of employment, approved leave, business ownership and activity |
Bank balances, transaction history, income, savings, source of funds, ability to pay for the trip and return | Bank balances, transaction history, income, savings, source of funds, ability to pay for the trip and return |
Family remaining in the home country versus relatives/family in Canada; overall circumstances | Family remaining in the home country versus relatives/family in Canada; overall circumstances |
Previous international travel, visas, compliance with previous visits, previous Canadian/US/UK/Schengen travel, etc. | Previous international travel, visas, compliance with previous visits, previous Canadian/US/UK/Schengen travel, etc. |
Previous refusals, overstays, unauthorized work/study, removals, previous applications and information provided | Previous refusals, overstays, unauthorized work/study, removals, previous applications and information provided |
Criminality, security, medical/financial inadmissibility, misrepresentation, and whether the information/documents are consistent and credible | Criminality, security, medical/financial inadmissibility, misrepresentation, and whether the information/documents are consistent and credible |
What is ImmigrationDM?
ImmigrationDM makes it easy to respond to a Canada visitor visa refusal.
You can use the Refusal Analysis to read the officer's reasons and see the missing paper. It asks about country, purpose, funds, and home ties, then you paste the letter. You get the concerns in order and the documents that prove each claim.
The free checkers test the money side of the file before you submit. The Source of Funds Checker shows whether the file explains where the money came from. The Trip Cost Checker compares the trip you typed with the balance you typed.
No matter where you are after a Canada visitor visa refusal, ImmigrationDM is here to help you prepare the next file.
Tools to help with a stronger application
Same checkers as the tool pages. They run on what you type.
Source of Funds Checker
Trip Cost Checker
Canada immigration laws
The consolidated Act and Regulations on Justice Laws. IRPA 34 to 42 is the on-site grounds page.
- IRPR — Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
- IRPR 179 — temporary resident visa
- IRPR 180 — a visa is not entry
- IRPR 180.1 — cancelling a visa
- IRPR 183 — how long the stay lasts
- IRPR 30 — medical examination
- IRPA — Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
- IRPA 11(1) — the examination
- IRPA 20(1)(b) — leave at the end of the stay
- IRPA 22(2) — dual intent
- IRPA 39 — financial inadmissibility
- IRPA 40 — misrepresentation
- IRPA 34 to 42 — inadmissibility grounds
GCMS notes versus officer decision notes
The decision note comes with the refusal letter. GCMS notes are the rest of the file.
GCMS notes vs officer decision notesWhich applications get the note with the letter, from which date, and when you still request the file.Read the guideInadmissible grounds
IRPA sections 34 to 42 are the grounds. A letter that cites IRPR 179(b) is a different test.
Canada inadmissibility groundsSecurity through an inadmissible family member, and why a standard visitor refusal is not that finding.Read the guideOther Canada visitor visa immigration resources
These pages cover the refusal letter, the money, the ties, and the papers that change by country.
How to read the refusal letter
The letter cites IRPR 179(b) when the officer wasn't satisfied you'll leave Canada. Read the factors under that line before you apply again.
Read the guideWhat to change before you pay again
Match each factor on the letter to the document that answers it. Sending the same file again rarely changes the result.
Read the guideYou can reapply. There is no waiting period.
IRCC doesn't set a cooling-off period. The next officer already has the refused file, so the new one has to be different.
Read the guideWhen a lump does not match income
A large closing balance doesn't show where the money came from, whether you can use it, or whether income continues.
Read the guideWhat weak ties means
The officer is saying the file doesn't prove you will go home. This page shows how officers measure ties.
Read the guideThe reasons behind most refusals
Travel history, ties, purpose, and funds are different officer concerns. Each phrase on the letter points at different paper.
Read the guideHow to reapply in 2026
This page covers the 2026 reapplication rules, GCMS notes, and the order of a resubmission.
Read the guideCanada visitor visa from Nigeria
Processing time, fees in naira, and the CAC and FIRS papers a Nigerian business file uses.
Read the guideA graduation visit refused three times
A Nigerian sibling case: the officer note, the source-of-funds gap, and what the next file had to add.
Read the guide
Documents after a refusal, by country
- Documents that answer a India refusal
- Documents that answer a Nigeria refusal
- Documents that answer a Philippines refusal
- Documents that answer a Pakistan refusal
- Documents that answer a Ghana refusal
- Documents that answer a Bangladesh refusal
- Documents that answer a Cameroon refusal
- Documents that answer a China refusal
- Documents that answer a Kenya refusal
- Documents that answer a Singapore refusal
Related
The letter names the factor. The global rate does not.
A 179(b) refusal is a finding on the file you sent. The next file has to answer that factor.
Start with the letter →Sources
- CIMM — Management of Expired and Cancelled Visas, May 4, 2026 — global TRV refusal rates and the 2026 year-to-date approval rate
- IRPR section 179 — temporary resident visa
General information from the regulation and IRCC’s public pages. Not legal advice. Not a prediction of a visa decision.