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My Canada visa was refused; I got a refusal letter but nothing was stamped in my passport. I got rejected under section 205(a) and 186 for not demonstrating specialized knowledge.

Do I have to mention the Canadian refusal in my UK work permit visa application? Will it affect my application (it is not an offense or criminal case)?

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    @Galaxy No, completely unrelated? That one is about previous rejections to the UK (and the answer talks about biometric data, which Canada may or may not share with UK), this is about previous rejections to a completely different country?
    – Yakk
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 18:37
  • As a work permit (i.e long stay visa) question, should this be directed to expatriates.se?
    – origimbo
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 18:50
  • What does it say on the form? Have you read the exact questions it asks?
    – user2705196
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 20:13
  • @Yakk, granted, misunderstood the question. Have removed the tag.
    – Galaxy
    Commented Nov 13, 2018 at 13:04

3 Answers 3

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Yes you should mention it (because they do ask you that). A possible refusal is better than a ban for deception.

A previous refusal from another country, or even the same one, does not mean that your application will necessarily be refused.

Here is the exact text of the questions as of November 2018.

Have you ever been:

  • refused a visa for the UK

  • deported from the UK

  • removed from the UK

  • required to leave the UK

  • refused entry at the UK border

Have you ever been:

  • refused a visa for any country other than the UK

  • deported from any country other than the UK

  • removed from any country other than the UK

  • required to leave any country other than the UK

  • refused entry at the border of any country other than the UK

If the answer to either of those questions is yes, then you get a section to provide details. If the answer is No, then the wizard moves forward.

The form is not available for download online so i don't have a reference to link to but this can be verified at https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk

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    Are you asserting that the UK requires you to mention visa refusals in other countries? Are you asserting they even ask? Or are you saying the OP should volunteer that information, unasked for and unrequired?
    – Yakk
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 18:13
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    @Yakk they do ask both of those questions separately, and the only correct answer is Yes if you've had a refusal. Any answer here comes with the implied context that it's primarily answering the question that was asked, and not writing general theory. The question was for the UK and they do ask. There is no mention of volunteering any information in this answer.
    – Hanky Panky
    Commented Nov 13, 2018 at 1:09
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The form explictly asks if you have ever been refused a visa by any country. You must answer all questions on your visa application truthfully and accurately. If you are found to have lied, this is taken very seriously and will usually mean that you're banned from getting a visa for a number of years or even forever.

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    This appears to be a non-answer to the OP's question, unless you are claimiing "and the UK visa application requests you list all non-UK visas you have been refused" or something similar. I mean, "the UK visa application requires you to use number 2 pencil" may also be true (I doubt it), but unless connected to the OP's question, it seems a strange thing to mention. If this is related to the OP's question, can you please state that explicitly?
    – Yakk
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 18:14
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    @Yakk It completely answers the question. I don't know what the UK application form asks, but it doesn't matter. If the form asks any question where the truthful answer is "I had an application for a Canadian visa rejected on date X for reason Y", then the asker must state that. If it doesn't ask any question where that is the truthful answer, then they don't have to state that.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 18:30
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    @Yakk I'm assuming the question is "How do I fill in the form?" rather than "Does the form ask about this?" I agree that, if the question is supposed to be the latter, then I've not answered it.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 18:31
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    @Yakk, Given that it's a UK visa, it's fairly likely it'll have a question along the lines of "Have you been refused a visa for any country, including the UK, in the last 10 years".
    – origimbo
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 18:55
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    @vana You must answer all questions on your visa application truthfully, giving full details.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Nov 13, 2018 at 9:53
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There is no requirement to disclose information you have not been asked for, unless and until you are asked. Therefore, if the visa application you are filing requests further information about entry to other countries, Commonwealth countries, or Canada in particular, then you should disclose the information you have been asked to provide. If it includes visa applications and their approval or refusal, outside the UK, then you would need to disclose your refusal by the Canadian authorities.

Preparing for an interview, however, should involve documenting any point of potential uncertainty for the consular officer, and being prepared to answer any questions, ideally with something in writing to back it up. If there are or were mitigating circumstances that explain or justify your position in relation to the refusal, then you should prepare yourself to answer questions with that information, and take with you any supporting evidence. This often requires thinking outside the box and is not as straightforward as an application form.

My answer comes from having both successfully applied for my own visas and assisted others in filing applications and preparing for interviews, including in/for the UK, and for both immigrant and non-immigrant classes.

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    I've also come across this nugget that suggests the UK has access to Canadian refusals, so you should definitely answer truthfully if asked and prepare well for any interview, whether at the embassy or the port of entry, and probably both: travel.stackexchange.com/questions/109183/…
    – Sam_Butler
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 20:47

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