For applications filed through IRCC's newer online portal for non-Express Entry programs, group members warned that the portal's digital format doesn't remove the requirement for a physical signature.
What group members advised:- Sign every form by hand wherever a signature line appears, then scan or upload — typing your name is not treated as equivalent to a signature.
- Missing or incomplete signatures cause applications to be returned. Members reported cases where files came back specifically because a signature was missed on one form.
- Check every form individually before uploading — it's easy to sign the main application but miss a signature required on a secondary or supplementary form.
The practical takeaway: go through each form in the package one at a time and physically sign every location that calls for it before uploading; skipping this is a common, avoidable reason applications get sent back for correction.