Temporary Resident Permit

Inadmissible to Canada? There may still be a way in.

A Temporary Resident Permit can let you enter or stay despite a criminal record, a DUI, a medical issue, a misrepresentation finding or a past removal. It turns on one test: does your reason to be here outweigh the risk?

Check my timeline Speak to an RCIC

RCIC-led Brampton & London Urgent travel supported

Rehabilitation timeline

Are you already deemed rehabilitated?

For many single, non-serious offences, enough elapsed time can resolve inadmissibility on its own. Check where you sit before assuming you need a permit.

Your history

Two questions.

Date your sentence was completed

Includes any fine paid, probation ended, and licence suspension served — not the conviction date.

How many convictions do you have?

Was it a serious offence?

In Canada, impaired driving is generally treated as serious criminality.

The test

What an officer is weighing.

A compelling reason to enter

Your purpose must be significant and documented — work, family, medical treatment or a business obligation that cannot be met another way.

How serious the inadmissibility is

A single old offence is treated very differently from recent or serious criminality. Honesty about the facts is essential.

Time since the event

The further back it sits, and the cleaner your record since, the stronger the case — and you may already be deemed rehabilitated.

Evidence of rehabilitation

Completed sentences, treatment, restitution and a stable life carry real weight when they are documented.

Risk to Canadians

The officer must be satisfied your presence poses no meaningful risk. Third-party evidence beats assertion every time.

Complete disclosure

Hiding an offence is worse than the offence. Non-disclosure turns a fixable problem into misrepresentation.

Common situations

When a TRP is the right tool.

Inadmissibility comes in several forms, and the route out depends on which one applies to you.

Criminality & DUI

A conviction, including impaired driving, can make you inadmissible for years. A TRP handles the trip; rehabilitation fixes it permanently.

Most common

Misrepresentation

A misrepresentation finding usually carries a multi-year ban, and a TRP is sometimes the only way to enter during it.

5-year ban

Medical inadmissibility

Where a condition is treated as a danger to public health or an excessive demand on services, a TRP can bridge the gap.

Previous removal or overstay

A removal order or serious overstay can bar re-entry, and an authorisation to return may also be required.

Inadmissible family member

You may be inadmissible because of a family member, so the application must address the whole picture.

Business & urgent travel

A contract, a conference, a medical emergency or a funeral can all support a compelling need to enter.

How we work

How we build a TRP application.

Identify the exact inadmissibility

We pin down the provision that applies and whether rehabilitation, an authorisation to return, or a TRP is the right instrument.

Build the need-versus-risk case

We assemble the evidence showing your purpose is compelling and the risk is low — that is the entire test, in one package.

Prepare complete disclosure

Court records, sentence completion and a submission letter that meets the problem head on rather than hoping it is missed.

Plan the permanent fix

A TRP is a bridge. Where possible we map the route to criminal rehabilitation so this stops recurring.

Confidential assessment

Find out where you actually stand.

Tell us what happened and when. A licensed RCIC will assess whether a TRP, criminal rehabilitation, or both is the right route — and how strong your case really is.

Questions about inadmissibility and TRPs?

We keep every common question — eligibility, documents, timing, fees and processing — answered and updated in one place.

Visit the Help Centre

Related services

Explore your other options.

Vulnerable Worker PermitLeave an abusive employer Humanitarian & CompassionatePR on H&C grounds Refusals & AppealsReview, remedies & re-filing Visitor Visa (TRV)Purpose, ties & finances PR Card & Travel DocumentsRenewals, PRTD & obligation Resource LibraryChecklists & deadline tools

General information only, not legal advice, and current as of July 2026. Rules, fees and processing times change — confirm current requirements on canada.ca before filing. Contacting us does not create a client–consultant relationship until a written retainer is signed. IRCC makes all final decisions.