Aby444 said:
they said absolutely nothing. They had initially sent me a fairness letter which just asked for a sch A form which I ssent off to them
OK, on looking into it, I see that there is no actual appeal procedure for a charge of misrepresentation, which is why you didn't get a fairness letter. That doesn't mean that all hope is lost though.
First of all, I don't know why some people are saying they didn't give you a reason for your refusal and charge of misrepresentation. They did. They told you it was your "immigration history", and that refers directly to having been refused more than one visa which you did not mention on your original PR application.
Here are CIC's own guidelines on procedures for a finding of inadmissibility due to misrepresentation:
Visa office procedures
An officer who suspects that an applicant may be inadmissible for misrepresentation should carefully document the reasons for the concern in their notes. They must then provide the individual with information on the basis for their concern and invite the person to respond. This can be done at an interview or in writing. If in writing, the person should be given at least 30 days from the time of receipt of the officer's notice to respond. The information provided in the response should be carefully assessed in accordance with the principles outlined previously.
Were you given a chance to respond? Does your current letter give you that chance, or were you contacted before the final determination was made? You should have been. If you have a chance to defend yourself, mention the following:
1) you didn't mention the refusals because you didn't see the question buried beneath issues of refugee status and something in French, so that you didn't understand that the question was asking about refused visas generally 2) you DID mention it on a 2014 application for PR - thus proving you were not trying to hide your refusals from CIC, and 3) you DID mention it on a subsequent Schedule A, again showing that you were not trying to mislead CIC.
Here are examples from CIC's own guidelines for what is, and what is not, misrepresentation:
Examples
Officers are to apply the aforementioned guidelines designed to support the consistent and fair application of the misrepresentation provisions. It is not possible to provide an exhaustive list of all scenarios. In each case, all the relevant information and the circumstances should be carefully considered. The following examples generally illustrate the intent of these guidelines.
The following situations would generally constitute misrepresentation:
An applicant fails to disclose that they recently applied for a visa to Canada.
An applicant fails to disclose a criminal record, even if it is eventually established that
they are not inadmissible under the criminality provisions (either due to lack of
equivalency or because of the deemed rehabilitated class, for example).
An applicant for a visa fails to disclose the existence of family members, even if the
family members could satisfy the requirements of the Act. [R117(9)(d)]
An applicant fails to disclose that they were previously issued a removal order in Canada,
even if they would not require consent to return.
An applicant includes a nephew in their application and lists this person as a son.
An applicant misrepresents the age of a family member who could otherwise not be
included in the application.
A skilled worker applicant submits a false education certificate in an effort to meet
selection criteria that they would not otherwise meet.
Failure to disclose changes in marital status or changes in material facts since visa
issuance abroad [R51]
The following situations would not generally constitute misrepresentation:
Mistakes or misunderstandings:
2015-08-01 37
ENF 2/OP 18 Evaluating Inadmissibility
An applicant who indicates the current year as their year of birth; or reverses the date and month of birth on an application form.
An applicant who indicates being single, when in fact they are widowed.
An applicant who fails to disclose being denied entry into Canada when attempting to
enter from the United States for an afternoon five years ago. The applicant explains that because “withdrawal” was effected, the notion of having been denied entry into Canada was not properly understood (that is, the applicant did not believe entry into Canada had been denied because the option of withdrawal or “Allowed to Leave” was offered and exercised) and the applicant, in the officer's opinion, is credible.
Other cases where a person answers truthfully at an interview without hesitation and it is reasonable to believe that the person did not understand the question on the application form or forgot the relevant information at that time.
It seems to me that, especially since you mentioned the visa refusals on a PR application PRIOR to your rejected one, you have a very good case for this being a mistake rather than a misrepresentation. You can, of course, write a CSE explaining all this and asking them to reopen your case, but if you can afford it, I would instead find a reputable lawyer QUICKLY who will do it for you, making sure to hit all the relevant legal points. Being banned for 5 years from making an application is a serious thing, and CIC does not do it lightly or often. I would fight it if I could! Good luck!