The Importance of Owning Your Story for Immigration: Recent Lessons from a Refugee Court Decision

As you read through this blog post, we want you to bear in mind the key takeaway: you are the only person who can provide the truth of your experiences, your motivations, and your voice in your immigration application. It’s important that you advocate for that to be heard and accurately portrayed.  

With that in mind, let’s dig into the court case that inspired this blog post:   

Background: A Refugee Claim and a Ministerial Appeal  

In the case in question (read it here), a gay man from Pakistan sought refugee protection in Canada on the grounds that he feared persecution due to his sexual orientation. The Refugee Protection Division (RPD) initially accepted his claim, recognizing him as a person in need of protection. 

However, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship appealed that decision. The Minister argued that the claimant’s story was nearly identical to several other refugee claims filed. According to the appeal record, the Minister presented three additional narratives from claimants who also identified as gay men from Pakistan. 

The judge summarized that these narratives—four in total—shared “striking similarities in language and content.” They each followed the same sequence of events: 

• A threat from extremist Muslims; 

• The applicant revealing his sexual identity to another man who responded that he was also not attracted to women; 

• The two men being attacked by fanatics while engaging in a sexual act at a vacant location; 

• A second attack in a busy market; 

• Disinheritance by the applicant’s father; and 

• A mother advising her son to leave Pakistan permanently. 

The Minister’s position was that this shared pattern went beyond coincidence and cast doubt on the credibility of all four claims. The Federal Court agreed, finding that the initial decision-maker had failed to adequately consider the repetition and the possibility of coordination or fabrication. 

The appeal was allowed. The court substituted its own decision, declaring that the individual was neither a Convention refugee nor a person in need of protection.  

Similar Stories Don’t Always Mean Fraud 

It’s important to stress that similar narratives, on their own, do not amount to fraud. Both the Canadian courts and IRCC recognize this. When large groups of people face the same type of persecution or need to share similar information (like why they want to study in Canada), it is inevitable that their stories will share certain elements. 

For example, LGBTQ+ individuals in countries where homosexuality is criminalized often face patterns of abuse that follow familiar lines: exposure, rejection by family, threats from religious or community leaders, and physical violence.  

Similarly, members of ethnic or religious minorities frequently describe overlapping experiences of discrimination, extortion, or threats from the same hostile groups. 

These commonalities reflect shared conditions and experiences, not necessarily collusion or deception.  

What made this case unusual was not that the claimants described similar persecution—but that they shared a very specific sequence of events. The court considered it unlikely that all of the people claiming refugee status would have had the exact same series of experiences.  

What This Means for Applicants For Any Immigration Stream 

This case highlights a delicate but critical balance in Canada’s immigration and refugee system. On one hand, IRCC and the Refugee Board are expected to recognize that people from the same region or social group will have overlapping experiences. On the other hand, they must also safeguard against fraudulent or templated applications that undermine the credibility of genuine applications.  

For individual applicants, there is a simple takeaway (but unfortunately time consuming): it’s your job to make sure your story is accurately portrayed.

Whether you are applying for refugee protection, permanent residence, a study permit, or a work visa, the authenticity of your application rests on how well your documents reflect your life story and your unique circumstances. 

The Risks of Over-Outsourcing 

It’s common for applicants to hire representatives to help with their immigration process. Consultants, lawyers, and agents can and often do play a valuable role in many people’s immigration journeys. And for good reason, they understand the system, anticipate what officers are looking for, and ensure that applications are complete and properly formatted. 

But problems arise when applicants completely outsource their applications and then submit them without either reviewing what is submitted in their name or critically thinking about how accurate it is. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to completely rely on a consultant’s expertise – but this isn’t always in your best interest.  

Representatives often use templates to streamline their work, especially when managing a high volume of clients. This isn’t necessarily dishonest or exploitative—it’s efficient. However, when too many applications rely on the same template, the risk is that subtle but crucial personal details get lost. 

In some cases, the representative might even misunderstand or misstate parts of your story due to cultural or language barriers. In others, they might insert generic details intended to “strengthen” your file but that don’t accurately reflect your life. 

The danger is that if IRCC identifies the same paragraphs or identical stories across multiple applications, it may question their authenticity. 

Study Plans: A Common Example 

One of the clearest examples of this risk comes from study permit applications. Students are often required to submit a “study plan”—a short essay explaining why they chose Canada, why they selected their program, and how it fits their future goals. 

When representatives write these study plans for students, many reuse the same structure or even the same sentences. Two applicants might end up submitting nearly identical letters, differing only in names and dates. 

IRCC has never formally stated that using templates leads to automatic rejections, but there is growing evidence that the department uses technology to detect duplicate or near-identical text. This helps officers identify patterns, both to detect possible fraud and to streamline case management. 

So, while a templated letter won’t automatically doom your application, it can raise questions—and additional scrutiny can delay or complicate processing. 

How to Protect Your Application 

You don’t need to avoid professional help entirely—many applicants succeed because they work with qualified representatives. The key is to stay actively involved in your own process.

Here’s how to reduce risk and strengthen your file: 

1. Read everything. Never sign or submit a document you haven’t personally reviewed. 
2. Make corrections. If something doesn’t sound like you—or if a detail is wrong—ask for revisions. 
3. Add your own words. Personalize templates by including small, specific examples from your life. 
4. Ask questions. Don’t hesitate to clarify why your representative phrased something a certain way. 
5. Keep documentation. Save all drafts, messages, and receipts in case you ever need to demonstrate how your file was prepared. 

Collaboration, Not Delegation 

Think of your representative as a partner, not a proxy. They can guide the process and help you avoid pitfalls, but you are still the author of your own story. 

Being active in your application isn’t just about accuracy—it’s about agency. When you understand and participate in the story being told on your behalf, you’re not just a case file number. You’re a person with a history, a voice, and a reason for wanting to build a future in Canada. 

The Takeaway 

The lesson here isn’t that immigration representatives are bad actors or that applicants should navigate the process alone. Rather, it’s that credibility and authenticity can’t be outsourced. 

Your consultant or lawyer can provide expertise. They can help organize your documents, present your evidence, and ensure your file meets IRCC’s requirements. But only you can provide the truth of your experiences, your motivations, and your voice. 

At the end of the day, Canada’s immigration system is designed to evaluate people, not templates. The most persuasive application is the one that could only have come from you.