What this page covers
- What is the SAAB Case Complexity Index™?
- How is each application scored?
- What do the three bands mean?
- The full table, sortable and searchable
- Where do you start if something has gone wrong?
- What does the score not tell you?
- Frequently asked questions
A low score means the application is usually not complex. It does not mean file it alone. Handled wrongly, any application can be refused, and that is where the complex scores live.
5 factors
Tap a slice to see what it measures
- Forms and evidence15%
- Officer discretion25%
- Refusal exposure25%
- Deadline pressure10%
- Cost of getting it wrong25%
Each factor is scored 1 to 5. The five are weighted, because they do not matter equally, and the weighted result is then spread across a 1 to 10 scale. Refusal exposure and cost of getting it wrong carry half the score between them, because complexity is not about how many boxes there are to fill in.
How to read a score
- 1 to 3, Straightforward: usually not complex, and prepared properly they are usually approved. A self-help guide covers them, but a low score is not advice to file alone.
- 3.1 to 6, Moderate: more moving parts, and the mistakes are expensive. Worth having the package checked before it goes in.
- 6.1 to 10, Complex: these are the ones to get professional help with.
No score here tells you to file alone. A straightforward application handled wrongly still gets refused, and that is the point at which it becomes a complex one. It still means reading the rules against your own facts and being straight about where your file is weak. If anything concerns you, book a consultation.
| Application | Score | Band | Most common reason these fail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judicial Review of an IRCC Refusal | 10.0 | Complex | Missing the 15 or 60 day filing window. |
| Immigration Appeals | 10.0 | Complex | Missing the appeal deadline, or filing with no evidence prepared for the hearing. |
| Removal Orders and Stays of Removal | 10.0 | Complex | Waiting until the removal date before getting help. |
| Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) | 10.0 | Complex | Missing the 15 day window to apply once it is offered. |
| Refugee and Asylum Claims in Canada | 10.0 | Complex | The Basis of Claim form is inconsistent with the testimony given later. |
| Responding to a Procedural Fairness Letter | 9.7 | Complex | Answering the letter late, or answering a different concern from the one raised. |
| Humanitarian and Compassionate Applications | 9.6 | Complex | Arguing the facts as risk or persecution, which section 25(1.3) bars an officer from weighing at all. |
| Spousal, Common-Law Partner, and Dependent Child Sponsorship | 9.5 | Complex | Relationship evidence that does not cover the whole history of the relationship. |
| Immigration Refusals and Appeals | 9.4 | Complex | Reapplying without reading the officer's notes, so the same refusal repeats. |
| Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) | 9.2 | Complex | Underplaying the inadmissibility, or failing to show the need to enter outweighs the risk. |
| Inadmissibility to Canada | 9.2 | Complex | Disclosing too little, which turns an admissibility problem into a misrepresentation problem. |
| Restoring Your Status in Canada: Work, Study, or Visitor Record | 9.1 | Complex | Missing the 90 day deadline, or not knowing which status to restore to and that work or study stops until the new permit is issued. |
| Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers | 8.9 | Complex | Evidence of the abuse that is too thin for the officer to accept, or waiting to apply while still tied to the employer. |
| OINP Ontario Workforce Priority Stream Points Calculator and Guide | 8.5 | Complex | The 14 day window to respond to the notification is missed. |
| Provincial Nominee Programs | 8.3 | Complex | Missing the stream's own deadline after an invitation from the province. |
| Family Sponsorship | 8.1 | Complex | Sponsor eligibility bars that are only discovered after filing. |
| Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) | 7.9 | Complex | Recruitment and advertising that does not meet the requirements. |
| Express Entry | 7.8 | Complex | Claiming points that cannot be proven, which risks a misrepresentation finding. |
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 7.8 | Complex | Hours and job duties that do not support the NOC claimed. |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | 7.8 | Complex | Points claimed for work experience that is not continuous or paid. |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) | 7.8 | Complex | No qualifying offer or certificate of qualification. |
| Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship | 7.8 | Complex | Income below the threshold for three straight tax years. |
| Rural Community Immigration Pilot (formerly RNIP) | 7.5 | Complex | An offer that sits outside the community's priority occupations, so the community recommendation is refused before IRCC ever sees the file. |
| Intra Company Transfer Program | 7.3 | Complex | The qualifying relationship or the specialised knowledge is not proven. |
| Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP) | 7.2 | Complex | Thin proof that the principal applicant holds an eligible job, or thin evidence of the relationship and of professional and financial ties. |
| Open Work Permit for Destitute Students | 7.2 | Complex | Not showing that the hardship is beyond the student's control, or applying outside the terms of the public policy. |
| Obtaining a Study Permit | 7.0 | Complex | Purpose of study and funds are not convincing to the officer. |
| Study Permit Requirements and Proof of Funds | 7.0 | Complex | Funds shown as a lump sum with no history behind them. |
| Open Work Permit for Sponsored Spouses or Common-Law Partners in Canada | 6.4 | Complex | Filing the open work permit without a complete sponsorship application behind it, or without the status in Canada this class requires. |
| Visitor Visa for Business | 6.2 | Complex | An invitation letter that reads like work in Canada rather than a business visit. |
| Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) | 6.2 | Complex | A job offer from an employer that is not designated, or work experience that does not match the TEER category of the offer. |
| Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa, TRV) | 5.8 | Moderate | Weak ties to the home country, and funds that are not explained. |
| Open Work Permits | 5.8 | Moderate | Applying under a category the applicant does not actually qualify for. |
| Closed Work Permits | 5.8 | Moderate | The offer, the LMIA or the exemption code does not match what is filed. |
| Super Visa | 5.3 | Moderate | Income below the threshold for the family size, or insurance that does not meet the rules. |
| Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) | 4.8 | Moderate | Applying before the AOR or after the current permit expires. |
| Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) | 4.6 | Moderate | Filing a study permit application without the attestation letter when one is required. |
| Applying for Canadian Citizenship | 4.5 | Moderate | Applying short of the 1,095 days, or miscounting time before permanent residence. |
| Work Permit Extension | 4.0 | Moderate | Filing after the permit expires, so the applicant loses maintained status. |
| Study Permit Extension | 4.0 | Moderate | Filing late, or filing without proof of continued enrolment and funds. |
| Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) | 3.3 | Moderate | Applying after the 180 day window closes, or with a program that was never PGWP eligible. |
| PR Card Renewal and PRTD (Permanent Resident Travel Document) | 3.0 | Straightforward | Not meeting the 730 day residency obligation and applying anyway. |
| Visitor Record: Extending Your Stay in Canada | 2.9 | Straightforward | Filing after the current stay has already expired, which closes the extension route and leaves only restoration. |
| Visitor Visa From Inside Canada | 2.7 | Straightforward | Applying from inside Canada without a valid study or work permit behind the application. |
| Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) | 1.6 | Straightforward | Answering the background questions carelessly, or applying on a copycat website. |
General information, not legal advice.
9.4You were refusedRead the officer’s notes before you reapply, or the same refusal repeats.See refusals9.7You received a fairness letterOne chance to answer, and the deadline does not move. Free 10 minute call on that page.Answer a PFL9.1Your status has expiredRestoration closes 90 days after the day you lost status. Work out your date.Check the deadline2.9Your stay is running outA visitor record extends your stay, as long as you file before the expiry date.Extend your stay2.7Your visa expired while you are hereWorkers and students can apply for a new visitor visa from inside Canada.Apply from Canada3.3Your studies are endingA PGWP is issued once in a lifetime, and the 180 day window is unforgiving.Check PGWP
Where do the scores come from?
From Dikshit Soni, RCIC R536007, scoring five factors from 1 to 5 against the files SAAB Immigration actually runs, then weighting them into a figure out of 10. It is our own judgement and experience, not an official measure. Think of it as a yardstick: a way to see what you are up against, and the level of complexity you may run into, before you start. If you already know immigration well the numbers may tell you nothing. They are here for the general applicant. The breakdown is shown on every application page under "How we scored this".
Does a low score mean my application will be approved?
No. It means the application is usually not complex to prepare. It is not advice to file it alone, and approval still depends on your own facts and your evidence.
Does a high score mean I cannot do it myself?
You can file anything yourself. A high score means the application is complex to prepare and the consequences of getting it wrong are expensive to put right. If you are unsure at any score, speak to us before you file.
My situation is unusual. Does the score still apply?
Treat it as a starting point. A refusal, a gap in status, a misrepresentation allegation, or a medical or criminal issue moves any application into the complex band, whatever the table says.
How often are the scores updated?
They are reviewed as the rules change and as our caseload shifts. When a score moves, the application page and this table move together, because both read the same list.
Not sure which row is yours
Tell us what you received and we will tell you where you stand
A short call is usually enough to work out which application you are actually facing, what the real deadline is, and whether this is one to do yourself. Kitchener and Mississauga, serving all of Canada.
Refused, or holding a fairness letter? Those pages carry a free 10 minute call instead.
The thinking behind the scores
Do I need an immigration consultant in Canada?
We answered that with the scores rather than with an opinion. The post walks through what a low score does and does not mean, and shows what happens to a score when an application goes wrong.