How to prepare PDFs for an IRCC application (under 4 MB, one file per field)

The two rules that cause most failed uploads

One file per field: if a field asks for proof of funds and you have six months of statements, they have to become one PDF. Uploading them one after another leaves only the last.

A size limit per file: under 4 MB on the portals and under 2 MB on some web forms. Check the limit shown next to the field you are filling in — it is the one that applies.

Combine and compress, step by step

Build the single file first, then compress it once. Compressing each part separately wastes quality.

1. If some documents are photos, turn them into PDF pages with JPG to PDF.
2. Open Merge PDF, add every document for the field in the order an officer would read them, and merge.
3. Open Compress PDF, add the merged file and type 3.8 in the target size box when the limit is 4 MB, or 1.8 when it is 2 MB. The box is in megabytes.
4. Open the result and check every page at 100% zoom: names, dates, amounts and stamps must stay legible.

Some systems count a megabyte as 1,000,000 bytes and others as 1,048,576. Targets of 3.8 and 1.8 are under both.

When the combined file will not fit

Long statements are usually the problem. Remove pages the instructions do not ask for — blank reverse sides, marketing inserts, duplicate pages — with Remove Pages, then compress again.

Scan text documents at 150–200 dpi rather than the scanner’s maximum; a cleaner source compresses further while staying sharp. Keep colour where the instructions ask for colour copies.

If a field genuinely cannot hold everything, follow the instructions for that field — some allow a letter of explanation or a separate upload for additional pages.

For consultants and representatives

If you prepare applications for clients, you do this many times a week. A Team plan gives everyone in the office the same tools without a daily limit, one invoice, and signature requests for forms that need a client’s signature.