A situation could arise where a traveler is being denied to enter Canada because of severe offenses on their criminal record. Offenses that make it impossible to enter Canada include DUI and DWI offenses which are considered felonies in Canada.
If the Approval for Rehabilitation (the usual way to apply for admission to Canada if someone has severe convictions) is being denied, there is one last resort to be able to enter Canada:
The Temporary Residency Permit
As the name suggests, this is a residency permit that enables a person with severe convictions who would otherwise be denied entry to Canada to visit the country for a limited time. In their application, the person will need to demonstrate a valid reason why they must enter Canada.
What is Required when Applying for a Temporary Residency Permit?
In terms of documents and forms required, the application for this permit will need the same documents as for the Rehabilitation Approval procedure described in the previous article. Those documents are:
- United States passport or a valid birth certificate.
- Photo Identification.
- A copy of the court documents for each conviction.
- Proof that the conviction has been satisfied and all sentences were completed.
- An recent FBI identification record.
- Police certificates from the state where the DUI conviction occurred.
- Police certificates for any state the person has resided for six months or longer over the past 10 years.
Producing all these documents and then submitting them correctly will most often take several months up to one entire year. This makes it obvious that the temporary residence permit is not suitable for a sight-seeing trip on the weekend or a business meeting on short notice. The application must be done several months in advance, before the desired travel date.
Each of the forms and documents to be produced must be filled out correctly and the entire procedure can be overwhelming for the layman. For that reason, applying for a temporary permit to enter Canada will call for competent legal help. A good immigration lawyer can help with all the required documents and he will ensure correct submission. This will greatly increase the chances to successfully obtain a temporary residence permit so the person will be able to go to Canada, even if they are otherwise inadmissible.
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