milly_m

Hi all, we're currently navigating our way through the Express Entry PR application, and have come up against a slight problem.

Under proof of funds the CIC want statements from all accounts (checking, savings and otherwise) showing very specific things - opening date, balance over the past 6 months etc.) However whenever my husband and I try and get this information from our respective banks, they provide us with generic statements and have told us they can't provide us with just the information we need. For our current accounts this can include huge number of pages of incomings and outgoings, which are too large to upload for our application!

Has anyone dealt with this or overcome it? If we upload just partial statements or documents, or provide the information for some accounts and not others is the application likely to be rejected? We have more than enough across a few savings accounts, so my thought is to focus on only those documents if the intention is to prove we have enough money to live on.

Former Lancastrian

This is the sort of thing that infuriates me.
Obviously IRCC have specific information required for proof of funds for EE applicants. If you look at the requirements IRCC are requesting its not like they are asking for the moon though some would argue they are.

So you walk into the bank with these requirements printed off and ask to speak to a bank rep unless you had to book an appointment to see one. You politely explain what it is you need and show them the printed requirements from IRCC as found in this link
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...oof-funds.html

The ever so important person then informs you that this cannot be done as you indicate. So my next move would be to ask to speak to a senior person. If this person told you the same then you have 3 options

1. Ask for another person senior to the last senior person you spoke to
2. Accept their poor excuse that the bank cannot do this
3. Tell the last person that you now wish to close all of your accounts and services with that bank.

The only drawback to #3 is from other accounts could you meet the 6 month average.

And yet there are those who criticize the Canadian banking system

milly_m

Yeah we've just been point blank told (in branch, and over the phone by a supervisor) that they no longer provide letters like that.

We've also realised slightly belatedly that only my husband's accounts are required as he is the principle applicant, so need to get another statement from one of our joint accounts sorted which will tip us above the required funds - we are actually well above but apparently since I'm only married to him my savings don't count

Even if we manage to find a way to get the 30+ pages of statements into one document that is small enough to be uploaded it won't contain a 6 month balance overview. I swear just the ability to navigate the information enough to apply in the first place should give you the equivalent of a Masters degree in points...

christmasoompa

It's odd that you can't get an account overview, I'm with three banks and all of mine do that? But you should be able to tailor your online statements enough to suit, and to compress them in to a PDF file.

Whatever you can't get, just upload a letter of explanation, and ideally get something from your bank saying that they won't provide it.

HTH.

milly_m

So he's managed to get a letter stating the date each account was opened, and then basically the last 6 months worth of statements for each account (3 savings, 1 current). They can't tailor this to provide an average balance for the past 6 months which is what is asked for, but to be honest it's not hard to work out if the CIC really need to know that information. I imagine they just want to know 'did £10k magically appear in your account a week before you applied' in case there is something dodgy going on?

Our main current problem is they sent all of that info in the post, and when he scanned it in as it all has to be in one PDF document, the file size is too large to be uploaded with the application. Unless we can sort that bit out, we may have to upload only some of the information (probably for the main savings accounts) and provide a covering letter to say we can provide more statements if required.

christmasoompa

Yep, that's exactly it.

You should be able to alter the file size though, there are various ways of compressing a PDF. Just Google for whatever your computer is and hopefully you can find out how to do it.

powderbabe

I had the exact same issue as you when I submitted my application back in August. I bank with Barclays and Natwest and have a credit card with Amex, a store card with Next and a fund and share account with Hargreaves Lansdown.

The only account to give me exactly what I needed was Hargreaves Lansdown. All the others refused.

Like you, I had hundreds of pages of six months worth bank statements which were too big to upload.

In the end, I reduced the quality of my scanned bank statements (135 pages worth) so that the attachment was small enough to upload. I also took out the pages that are also included in every bank statement which instructs you how to pay by direct debits etc.

I then also wrote a letter of explanation which summarised each and every account I have, when it was opened and the fact that the bank wouldn't give me the required letter. My letter included current balances and explained that I had taken the header pages and direct debit instruction pages out of the attachments.

Genuinely I expected to have my application refused because I had not done as asked with relation to the bank statements - no way could anybody read the reduced quality bank statements! But on December 1st I had the RPRF and then on December 5th PPR.

I would recommend (as a previous poster said) to keep chasing the bank and see if they will comply. If not, give a go at what I did. Can't guarantee it will work for everyone though but best of luck :-)

Engineer_abroad

Get them to put that decision in writing and then upload that letter/email along with your letter of explanation. If they are not willing to put in writing what they say verbally then I would be very questionable as to the persons/organizations integrity.

Shakyuk

This is exactly my experience.
My banks refused, I uploaded compressed statements.
Hargreaves Lansdown were great and gave me exactly what I wanted.


I also removed the pages which just had non-specific information on and used PDF compression software to compress the files.


I wrote in a letter of explanation that the banks refused to supply the information in the format CIC wanted and that statements were all I can provide.


Everything went fine and I have PR. Fear not