Applying for a temporary resident permit in Canada

If you have certain criminal convictions including a DUI on your record, you may need to  apply for a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) in order to enter Canada.  You need to plan well in advance of your trip in order to make sure you gain admittance into the county.  In addition, a new application will need to be completed before each trip into the country.  Submitting an application can be complicated, so it is helpful to have experienced legal counsel to help you throughout the process.

The first step in applying for a TRP is gathering all the necessary documentation and paperwork required to submit with the application.  These include items such as passport photos, federal police clearance, state police certificates, court documents and paperwork overviewing all the terms of your sentences.  It is imperative to prepare for your application early because some documentation can take time to receive back.  For instance, the FBI Identity History Summary for your federal police clearance can take 12 to 14 weeks to process, if not longer.

Next you will need to gather and include letters of employment, reference letters and other legal paperwork including marriage certificates, divorce decrees and birth certificates for your children.  In addition, you will be required to submit biometric fingerprints to verify your identity when submitting your paperwork.  We help our clients prepare all of these documents to avoid any possible delays in the processing of their TRP applications.

Another  document that can be filed is the Application for Criminal Rehabilitation. You will have to fill out the application to show how you were rehabilitated for any crimes you have been convicted of in the United States.  The form outlines past convictions and the sentences you received/served for each offense.  This is a more complicated and longer process, but can have more lasting effects beyond the TRP.

In addition to any legal fees you have to pay , you will also  be required to pay $200 in Canadian dollars to the Government of Canada.  Make sure to plan for these costs when preparing for a trip.

Submitting an application does not guarantee that you will receive a TRP of that you will be deemed “Rehabilitated”.

By hiring expert legal counsel to guide you throughout the process, you have a better chance of having the application accepted.  You must thoroughly demonstrate in the applications a significant reason you have to gain admittance into the country.  Our experienced team at Basiga Law is ready to guide you throughout the application process.

After you receive your TRP you will have a window of time where you are allowed to enter the country.  As mentioned before you will need to submit a new application for subsequent visits.  There are some options where you can receive a permit that can be used for an extended period of time.  If you will need to travel to Canada on a regular basis, ask our attorneys what options may be available to you.

Do not try to enter the country without applying for a TRP if you have a DUI conviction on your record.   Once you have your permit and are traveling to Canada be prepared at the border.  Have all of your paperwork in order when presenting them to a border agency in order to gain entry into the country.

Learn more about customs and criminal checks in our blog post “Traveling to Canada: how does Canada know if you have a DUI?”

If you have a criminal history, including a DUI conviction, on your record plan for travel to Canada early.  Our team will help you prepare all the necessary paperwork to receive a TRP today.

Call Basiga Law Firm in Okemos at 517-708-7830.  Our attorneys are ready to guide you through the TRP application process.