Importance of your surname in Canada immigration application

It’s a fact that Canada immigration is not an easy process. It’s more so when you have to ensure that every bit of information you submit while in the process is correct, accurate, and backed by relevant related documents. There's a lot of information you have to submit while applying for a Canada PR visa. These include your name, age, education, work experience, language proficiency test score, and many more. One of the major pieces of information you are supposed to provide is your name. *Know your eligibility to immigrate to Canada, through Y-Axis Canada Immigration Points Calculator. Why is a name so important in an application for Canada immigration? It can’t be any more obvious that name (including first name and surname) is the first factor that establishes your identity on the Canada PR visa application form. It has to match the name in the document you are submitting to prove your identity viz. birth certificate, marriage certificate, or any similar document. Parts of a name Your name in a travel document like a passport is generally represented in 2 parts:

• the primary identifier
• the secondary identifier

IRCC takes your family name as the primary identifier and your given name(s) as the secondary identifier. Here are some of the rules IRCC follows with regard to identifying and managing names for the purposes of immigration application.

• If the applicant has multiple (compound) family names/given names, they aren’t randomly broken down into various name fields in IRCC’s record system.
• In case your name is unclear as to which is the primary identifier and the secondary identifier, a review of the MRZ (Machine Readable Zone) will help in figuring out how IRCC has established the name.
• If the MRZ and VIZ (visual inspection zone) give similar precisions but are inconsistent in the order in which names are given, the MRZ will be considered reliable for determining the name order in IRCC’s record system and on documents IRCC issues.

How surnames are treated by IRCC? At the time of filling the DS-160 (non-immigrant visa application) online, it’s mandatory to fill in the surname field. You must write in the field for “surname” your given name and write “FNU” in the given name field. FNU stands for “First Name Unknown”. In case there's no surname provided in your passport you should fill your entire name in the field “surname”. You mustn’t enter “*”, “Not applicable,” or “NA.”. Leave the field “Given Name” in the application as blank. In case you don’t have surnames in your passport, you must get your name changed in your passport before proceeding with the online Canada visa application. That’s how significant IRCC considers surnames to be. If you are willing to migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the leading immigration and career consultant in the UAE. If you find this blog engaging, you may also like: Canada Express Entry draw: 787 Canada immigration candidates invited