The big day is finally here! The interview that will decide if Canada will accept you as a permanent resident. If you’re worried, remember: you’ve made it this far. The point of the interview is largely to ‘seal the deal’, and confirm that everything on your application lines up with what you have to say. And of course it does – it’s your story!

Here's a guide and here is another guide for the interview if you're making a claim from within Canada. But things are a little different for the interviews at the overseas Canadian embassies. So read on for tips that should help make things go as smoothly as possible. The guide is also available in Dari and Tamil and Arabic. And RSTP has a great one in English too.

There's a lot of information here, so you may want to ask your sponsors to explain it to you, and even help practise for the interview. There are questions below that they can ask.

How to prepare

1. Go through your documents to remember all the dates and places of your life story. The key here is to read your own application many, many times, since it has all your key dates and facts, and this is the version of your life story they will ask about. Especially read Schedule 2, Question 1 and 2, and Schedule A, Question 8 and 12.

2. Delete any posts on Facebook and Instagram etc etc that are political – no military pictures, no guns, no soldiers, no posts for OR AGAINST the government, the opposition, Isis, any organized movement. And erase any comments from social media friends that feels too political. Also: ERASE THOSE FRIENDS. Unfriend them. Otherwise you could be held responsible for their opinions. Note that this issue is more for people from the Middle East, or other places where there may be a civil conflict in which politics are always controversial. It's less of a problem for people from Afghanistan, for example, since the Taliban are almost universally disliked.

3. Make sure you get there in time. If you have to travel to another city – which may be difficult – work out your travel arrangements and permissions well in advance. Refugees in Turkey, for example, may have difficulty getting to the Canadian embassy in Ankara if they’re not supposed to travel far from home.

4. Bring a printed copy of the PDF that is your official invitation to do the interview.

5. Bring the IDs and documents from your home country. You may be asked to bring an updated copy of your Schedule A as well. Check the email inviting you to the interview (actually the PDF attachment) for details.

6. Bring all your official papers showing your residency in the country where you’re living now, including your refugee documents.

And now, what happens when the interview begins…

It's interview day!

Starting in May 2026, these interviews often happen virtually for those outside of major city centres. Either way, whether it's virtual or in-person, you should ask for a translator prior to the interview if you need one. 

Arrive 30 minutes before the interview. Try to speak in your own language, rather than English, since that’s your clearest language. But make sure your translator really does speak your language. There have been some problems when an interviewer doesn't speak quite the same dialect as the refugee, and delivers answers that are confusing or inaccurate. There have also been times when the interviewer is from the same group that persecuted the refugee, which can also lead to problems. 

If your interview makes a mistake, you can correct it. If it repeatedly happens, you can ask for a change of interpreter. If your English (or French) is very strong, you can also ask to speak in that language instead.

So what does the interview feel like? Says a friend who went through the interview process: “The interviewer is very intelligent. He looks at everything inside the room: the movements of your hands and your looks and actions. He may make you feel like you are lying and you should tell the truth. This is particularly in the middle of the interview. They are testing to see your response.”

Sometimes the interviewer will seem kind. Other times they may try to stir you up by asking  provocative questions (see the tough questions section below). And they will definitely ask the same question in a number of different ways. This is to make sure your story is true.

"The interviewer was very skilled in technique, sometimes asking the same question from different angles and never asking a question for which he/she did not already know the answer. You need to keep focus, consistency and brevity."

Your life story

They may ask you to tell your life story, especially the part of your life when you faced persecution and had to leave your country. (This is the part covered by question 1 of your Schedule 2). They may also ask if there’s any danger if you returned.  At this point, don’t talk generally about the persecution faced by your people. Instead, talk specifically about your own story. And be prepared to back up your story with places, names and dates. (More on that below).

Another big focus is how you left your country, who you paid, the types of transportation you took – and as always, when and where. (This is Schedule 2, Question 2a) .

Remember, stick to the facts. Keep it as simple as possible. Only provide the information they’re asking for. If you provide too many extra details, they will ask about those too. Tell basically the same story that's in your Schedule 2. If you introduce new facts, the interviewer will ask about those too - until you’re being asked a lot of uncomfortable questions that may be irrelevant to your case.

On the other hand, if they cut you off during your explanation, ask if you can complete it. If there’s a really important part of your story – especially the part where you were persecuted because you’re gay, you’re Christian and so on – make sure you talk about it.

Otherwise avoid oversharing, or talking too much out of nervousness.

Typical questions

Here are some questions that often come up in interviews:

"Have you been part of any groups like political groups, religious groups?"
"Have you ever got trained how to use weapons?"
"Have you ever committed crime?"
"Have you ever been a part of a group that trains people how to use weapons? Have you ever been part of those groups?"
"Are you married or have any kids you didn't mention before?"
"How do you know your sponsors? Why did they sponsor you? Did you pay them?"

It's best to say you don't have strong political views. If you're from Afghanistan, for example, you could say something like, “I'm not very political. Obviously I fled Afghanistan because of the Taliban, but I am more focused on getting out of my current situation as a refugee and coming to Canada.”

If you did military service, be prepared to talk about it in detail. Hopefully you did not do active duty, especially not in a war. If you did, they’re going to ask you many questions about it.

If you’ve returned to your home country, you have a problem. There are some tiny exceptions, such as “I returned for two days for a funeral” but generally, returning to your home country – the place of your persecution – can disqualify you from being accepted. But if they ask you if you can go back to your country, the answer should be a clear "no."

They will ask who applied for you and how you know them. It’s okay to say you first met your sponsor through social media. As long as your sponsors are not part of a bad or dishonest organization that will create doubts about your case.

And if they ask if you know your sponsors, hopefully you do! Read your settlement plan, just in case, to get their names straight.

They ask you if you paid any money for your private sponsorship – the answer is NO. Read your own funds explanation letter before the interview if you forget where the funds came from. It's okay if your brother or cousin sent the money. It just can't be you. 

Tough questions

And now the tough part! Not every interviewer will ask tough or hostile questions. But some do! That's because 1) They may have actual doubts about your story or credibility. 2) They are using a kind of trick of forcing you to feel uncomfortable, so that you make a mistake or change your story. 

Don't let them. Stick to your story, and be calm, consistent and brief. Typical tough questions:

"If you had problems in your home country, why not just move to another city?"
"Your life as a refugee in your current country is basically fine. Why not just stay?"
"You are either for or against your country's government. What is your position? You must have some political views."
"You say you don't have political views, but your friends on social media do. They are your friends, aren't they?"
"I don't really believe your story. Something doesn't add up."
"These are important moments in your life. Why don't you remember them more clearly?"
"I don't think you're being honest with me. I am giving you an opportunity to tell me the full story."

Fun fact: You can generate questions of your own by copying the answers to questions 1, 2a and 2b from Schedule 2 (remove the refugee's name first) and ask an AI platform like Co-Pilot or ChatGBT to generate more. The prompt: Given that this is their life story, what are some typical, difficult questions that a visa officer might ask him in an interview to be privately sponsored to come to Canada?

How to respond

Your manner: How you respond to the tough questions matters. First, you must remain calm and maintain eye contact. You have nothing to hide! Be pleasant and friendly and don’t get impatient or frustrated, if they ask you the same question over and over. Be fully comfortable and honest. And if they suggest you are lying and it's time to tell the truth, stay confident: because, if you follow this guide, you really are telling the truth.

Your memories: That said, years have probably passed since the events you are describing took place. If you are asked to remember a detail (like the colour of a bus, or the name of a person) that you don't remember, just state calmly what you do and do not remember. Don't get stressed or upset.

Your opinions: When it comes to political discussions, the key thing is to remain neutral. While you may not love your government (especially if it's a harsh dictatorship), it's better to talk about your desire for peace for all people. And no, you are not responsible for the political views of friends of yours on social media. 

Your return: If you're asked why you can't go back to your country, have a good explanation. Often when a civil war ends, the ruling government continues to arrest anyone who it considers to be an enemy. And leaving the country illegally / for a long time can be a problem. If you allowed your passport to expire and you have spent years as a refugee, your country's immigration officials and even police can make you a target. You may never be safe in your home country again.

Focus on desire to live a normal life and not to fight. And talk about why Canada in particular appeals to you. “A place where I can be free and respected again, a country I’ve long admired.”

The big question these days

Starting in 2026, the tough question that they really want an answer for is this:

"Can you go back?"

"Back" can mean your home country, or any country where you were a refugee before arriving to your current one. So for Hazaras, that could mean Afghanistan AND/OR Iran, Pakistan etc. 

On that topic, there seems to be a belief among some of the embassy staff that both countries are safe for Hazaras maybe because the violence in Afghanistan decreased somewhat after the Taliban conquest of the country in 2021. 

We write the country conditions letter (and the answer to Schedule 2, Question 2b) to show justs how terrible things are for refugees in the countries that they fled. But based on how many times this question comes up, it seems the immigration officers aren't reading what we write, or don't care. The reason? Because they are trained to ignore anything that is general or systemic. They want to know how you were uniquely put in danger, with details to back it up. 

The problem with this approach is you often need to talk about systemic stuff to explain your specific danger. Let's take a real example. Say you left Afghanistan because the Taliban targeted your brother for working for NATO. As you probably know, that makes you a target as well - because the Taliban won't stop until they kill every male member of the family, or force them out of the country. 

Your argument about being in danger only works if you explain how the Taliban operates. So the key here is to slow the interview long enough to explain both - your individual story, and the context that makes sense of it. Connect the particular and the general. They aren't going to ask you to do it, so you need to do it yourself.

An even more hostile version of this question is: 

"The trouble in your country is over. Why don't you just go back?"

In this case, the interviewer is actually stating the assumption that everything is fine back home. This is when to politely ask for time to explain what the situation is really like. One Syrian woman I know was able to talk about a massive bombing in the city that had taken place that same day, to show that things weren't so great in her home town.

For the Afghans out there: for Pakistan you could talk about the mass deportations happening right now, causing people to hide at home to avoid being arrested, detained and deported. For Afghanistan, you could discuss how the Taliban in Afghanistan keep good records of their targets and maintain them for decades. They won't stop until every male member of the family is gone. 

And then states how that exactly relates to the particulars of your story.

Next steps

Once you’re at the end, remember to thank the interviewer and ask for next steps. These might include your medical test (often done the same time as the interview) or biometric.

Only about 10% of people are told they passed the interview at the end. More common is that you "will hear from us within a couple days." For about 20% of people, they start getting new PDFs - like 'pre-arrival services', medical, the interim federal healthcare PDF - that indicate they were accepted, within a couple days of the interview. For the rest, they may have to wait 5 months or so before getting the next wave of documents. That waiting time can be a challenge - but it's normal.

When things go wrong

If you're not successful in your interview, you might get a procedural fairness letter (PFL) a few days after your interview. This letter states the doubts that the interviewer had, and gives you 30 days to answer those doubts and objections.

If that happens to you, the first thing you should do is file an ATIP or access to information and privacy request, to get the notes from your interview. Order it quickly because it can take time to arrive and you only have 30 days to answer the PFL, though your lawyer will ask for an extension.

At the same time, hire a good Canadian immigration lawyer. The cost will be about $400 to sign a retainer and for an hour consultation call by phone. If needed, the lawyer will then charge about $4,000 to file a write of mandamus, which is how they argue that the decision not to accept you was wrong.

Other unlucky people might be given an actual rejection letter. It usually comes about 2 days after the interview. In that case, as well, you should file an ATIP and hire a lawyer.

The least lucky result is: nothing. Immigration doesn't say yes or not. In that case, they probably have doubts about your case but not strong enough doubts to issue a rejection or procedural fairness letter. 

If your sponsors ask their member of Parliament what is happening with your file, Immigration will probably say "security check is in process." That may be true in certain complex cases, like if you were connected to the military or lived in many countries. But it's usually just an excuse, since the security check, these days, starts even before the interview.

If nothing happens after 1.5 years, this again is the time to hire a lawyer, whose argument will be, "After 1.5 years, it's not possible you're still running a security check. Make a decision either way, so we can deal with it."

Final words

The good news is, most people don't face any of these challenges. Only about 1 in 100 applications we see are actually rejected, and only about 5% get procedural fairness letters.

For everyone else, they are accepted - sooner or later. So be patient, and know there's always a lawyer ready to help you turn things around for the better if you need it.