Misra v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration)
- Citation
- 2025 FC 1385
- Status
- Judgment
- Jurisdiction
- Canada
- Court
- Federal Court
- Decision
- 18 August 2025
- Posture
- Judicial Review / Final Judgment Dismissal
- Language
- English
More details
- Court
- Federal Court
- Decision
- 18 August 2025
- Posture
- Judicial Review / Final Judgment Dismissal
- Language
- English
On this page
Professional case brief
Research organized from the available case record
01
Holding and result
The court held the officer's decision was reasonable and procedurally fair: the officer legitimately relied on materially inconsistent Bank Asia documents and a visible irregularity indicative of fraud, issued a procedural fairness letter, received an inadequate response that failed to address the fraud concern, and therefore properly refused the application and found inadmissibility under s.40(1)(a) IRPA.
Court disposition
Application for judicial review dismissed
Orders
- This application for judicial review is dismissed.
- No questions for certification and none arise.
- No costs will issue.
02
Material facts
Parties
Sattabrata Misra
Applicant Counsel: Dr. Samin MortazaviThe Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Respondent Counsel: Nima OmidiAmounts and remedies
- Bank Asia Letter Balance: TK 48,382.51
- Bank Asia Account Statement Inflated Balance: TK 2,548,382.51
- Approximate Discrepancy Between Bank Asia Documents: TK 2,500,000
03
Procedural history
Posture
Judicial Review / Final Judgment Dismissal
04
Questions and positions
Legal issues
- 01
Whether the visa officer's refusal of a work permit and finding of inadmissibility under section 40(1)(a) IRPA was unreasonable
- 02
Whether the officer lawfully and fairly concluded the applicant submitted fraudulent bank statements
- 03
Whether the procedural fairness letter and the applicant's response satisfied requirements of procedural fairness
- 04
Whether the Vavilov standard of review supports the officer's decision
Party arguments
- Applicant
- The applicant argued the officer's decision was unreasonable and procedurally unfair, challenged the finding of inadmissibility under s.40(1)(a) IRPA, and relied on documentary submissions made by an immigration consultant, contending the officer erred in concluding the Bank Asia documents were fraudulent and that the procedural fairness process was inadequate.
- Respondent
- The respondent submitted the officer reasonably concluded the Bank Asia statement was fraudulent based on material contradictions between documents and a visible suspicious alteration, that the officer properly issued a procedural fairness letter and received a non‑responsive reply, and that the decision met the reasonableness standard articulated in Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65.
05
Court’s reasoning
Legal principles
- 01
Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65
Decision of administrative body reviewed for reasonableness under Vavilov
- 02
Administrative law principles and jurisprudence on procedural fairness
Procedural fairness requires adequate notice of concerns and a meaningful opportunity to respond
- 03
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, SC 2001, c 27, s 40(1)(a)
Misrepresentation and inadmissibility under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act can be grounded in use of fraudulent documents
06
Ratio, limits and disposition
Ratio decidendi
The court held the officer's decision was reasonable and procedurally fair: the officer legitimately relied on materially inconsistent Bank Asia documents and a visible irregularity indicative of fraud, issued a procedural fairness letter, received an inadequate response that failed to address the fraud concern, and therefore properly refused the application and found inadmissibility under s.40(1)(a) IRPA.
Obiter and limits
- The court noted a visible font inconsistency in the impugned bank statement that supported suspicion of manual alteration.
- The court observed that no questions for certification were raised by counsel and none arose from the record.
Court disposition
Application for judicial review dismissed
- This application for judicial review is dismissed.
- No questions for certification and none arise.
- No costs will issue.
Source and reliance status
Federal Court · 18 August 2025
This page organises the available record for research. Confirm quotations, current status, and subsequent treatment against the official source before relying on the case.
Judgment reading view
Judgment text
The complete available source text.
Federal Court
Judgment· 18 August 2025
Misra v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) Court (s) Database Federal Court Decisions Date 2025-08-18 Neutral citation 2025 FC 1385 File numbers IMM-15355-24 Decision Content Date: 20250818 Docket: IMM-15355-24 Citation: 2025 FC 1385 Toronto, Ontario, August 18, 2025 PRESENT: Mr. Justice Diner BETWEEN:
SATTABRATA MISRA Applicant and
THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION Respondent
JUDGMENT AND REASONS [1] The Applicant challenges a visa officer’s [Officer] decision [Decision] refusing a work permit and finding the Applicant to be inadmissible under section 40(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, SC 2001, c 27 [IRPA], on the basis of it being both unreasonable, and unfair. As explained to the parties at the conclusion of submissions at the hearing, I will not interfere with the Decision. I provided, in my decision from the Bench, an explanation of my findings, detailing why the Decision’s rationale was entirely sound, and its reasons, justifiable and transparent, thus meeting the test in Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration v Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65. I promised very brief written reasons to follow. These are them. [2] The Applicant applied for a Labour Market Impact Assessment-based work permit in the Singapore visa office. With the assistance of an immigration consultant (i.e., not the very able counsel who assisted him in the present judicial review proceedings), his consultant submitted documents on his behalf. These documents included two bank statements from First Security Islami Bank [FSIB], which were not questioned. [3] A second set of documents, issued on the same date from Bank Asia Limited [Bank Asia], were also submitted, and included a letter from Bank Asia certifying a balance of 48,382.51 TK, and an account statement
indicating a balance of 2,548,382.51 TK. Because the letter and account statement reported very different and disproportionate account balances, the Officer conducted investigations, which confirmed the Respondent’s suspicion that the statement with a very inflated balance (2,500,000 Tk more than the letter) was indeed fraudulent. [4] On May 27, 2024, the Officer wrote a procedural fairness letter (PFL) to the Applicant, advising that he was “concerned that you may have provided fraudulent bank statements in your application”, and provided the Applicant an opportunity to address the issue. The Applicant’s consultant responded in due course, submitting further documentation regarding the FSIB account, without addressing the issue with the Bank Asia documents The Officer, being unsatisfied with the non-responsive reply, refused the Application. A second officer confirmed the inadmissibility finding for misrepresentation, which could have led to an error in the administration of the IRPA [5] As explained to Applicant’s counsel during the hearing, the Bank Asia document balances clearly contradicted each other in a very significant and material way. Furthermore, a visual review of the impugned bank documents clearly showed a suspicious entry on its face, with completely different font than all the other numbers provided in the statement, as if an inflated balance was added manually
after its issuance. [6] In light of the factual and legal constraints of the circumstances that arose, and in light of the Decision which was responsive to those facts and legal issues, along with the PFL response, I find the Decision was both reasonable and procedurally fair. The Application is accordingly dismissed. Counsel raised no questions for certification, and I agree none arise. JUDGMENT in IMM-15355-24 THIS COURT’S JUDGMENT is that: This application for judicial review is dismissed. No questions raised for certification and none arise. No costs will issue. “Alan S. Diner” Judge
FEDERAL COURT
SOLICITORS OF RECORD DOCKET: IMM-15355-24 STYLE OF CAUSE: SATTABRATA MISRA v MCI PLACE OF HEARING: vancouver, british columbia DATE OF HEARING: august 11, 2025 JUDGMENT AND REASONS: DINER J. DATED: August 18, 2025 APPEARANCES: Dr. Samin Mortazavi For The Applicant Nima Omidi For The Respondent SOLICITORS OF RECORD: Pax Law Corporation Barristers and Solicitors North Vancouver, British Columbia For The Applicant Attorney General of Canada Vancouver, British Columbia For The Respondent
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