Temporary Resident Permit Canada Application Form

Impaired driving is a serious crime in Canada, so US citizens with a DUI in their past often need to apply for a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) to avoid the risk of being denied entry at the border. Applying for a Canada TRP is a complex legal process, however, and even procuring the correct Temporary Resident Permit application form can be a challenge. The Temporary Resident Permit form is designed to screen all types of criminality from all over the world, it is not specific to Americans with a misdemeanor. People who are inadmissible due to violent or sex crimes can also require a TRP in order to enter Canada. Consequently, the Government of Canada is not going out of their way to make it easy for a foreign national to obtain such an entry waiver. If you are wondering why the process is so extensive and confusing, just remember that people with major felony convictions for distributing drugs can also be looking for a Temporary Resident Permit application form in an attempt to cross the border.

Not all Temporary Resident Permit applications are the same! It is possible to apply for a single-entry TRP, or for a multiple-entry TRP. It is possible to apply for a TRP in advance of travel via a Canadian consulate (regular Temporary Resident Permit application), or even to apply for a TRP at the border in an emergency (expedited Temporary Resident Permit application). There can be fundamental differences between various TRP applications. Bringing an expedited TRP application form and completed package to the Canadian border for immediate adjudication, for example, involves convincing border agents the trip is urgent in addition to a standard application.

In order to get approved for a TRP, an applicant must convince the Government of Canada that their need to enter the country outweighs any potential risk they pose. Consequently, a TRP application must contain a persuasive narrative of why a person's reason for travel is important and why they will never commit a crime such as drinking and driving again. Applying for a TRP involves a lot more than filling out a Canadian Temporary Resident Permit form such as IMM 1444, many TRP applications can end up being 40+ pages long.

A DUI is now a serious crime in Canada punishable by up to ten years in prison, so immigration authorities can view such an offense like a felony. In addition to the Canada TRP form, an application should include substantial supporting documentation such as court documents for each offense, documentation supporting the applicant's reason for travel, evidence of rehabilitation, and even a recent FBI background check. It is possible to request a multiple-entry TRP for up to three years, but the duration a person asks for much be supported with sufficient documentation.

Due to the complexity of applying for a Temporary Resident Permit, many Americans with a misdemeanor or felony conviction simply avoid the country. Those with family in Canada, a major trip already booked, or a work-related need to travel, will often retain an experienced Canadian TRP lawyer, especially if they will need to cross the border more than once. In general, it is more difficult to get approved for a multiple-entry TRP than for a single-entry waiver. If a person hires a Canadian TRP attorney to help them cross the border, they will not need to worry about locating an official Temporary Resident Permit application form as the legal professional will assemble such paperwork for them.

Questions about entering Canada with a criminal record? Trouble finding an official Canada TRP application form? Contact our Canadian immigration law firm today for a FREE consultation!

Can I Apply for a Canada TRP Online?

No, it is not possible to submit a Canada Temporary Resident Permit application form online. There is a lot of false information on the Internet suggesting people can apply for Temporary Resident Permit DUI entry online, so again we repeat it is not possible to apply for a TRP online! Completed Temporary Resident Permit applications must be mailed away to the appropriate Government of Canada office or submitted directly by an IRCC "authorized representative" such as a Canadian immigration lawyer. It typically takes about 3 to 4 months for an American's TRP form and application package to be fully processed by Immigration Canada, which is a testament to how thorough and extensive a process it really is.

Temporary Resident Permit Canada Form (IMM 1444)

If you searched online, you might have found it remarkably difficult to locate the Temporary Resident Permit Canada application form. The Canada.ca website, which is the official online presence of the Federal Government of Canada, contains several application forms with similar names such as IMM 5708 (Application to Remain in Canada as a Temporary Resident Permit Holder), IMM 5257 (Application for Temporary Resident Visa), and IMM 1444 (Application for Criminal Rehabilitation). In addition to the IMM5708, IMM5257 and IMM1444 PDF application forms, your local Canadian visa office or consulate may also have their own Temporary Resident Permit form and instructions.

There are dozens of posts on Internet message boards such as Reddit, and online discussion forums related to immigrating to Canada, that discuss how hard it can be to find the proper Temporary Resident Permit application form and instructions. According to a few users posting on these websites, some PDF files on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) site can appear to be corrupted when using older web browsers or software. Canada.ca application forms do not always rank well in search engines either, and the website can be a bit arduous to navigate as it contains information about thousands of topics. This can make the procedure extra troublesome even when the precise TRP Canada application form number is known. Despite what you may read on Reddit or Facebook, it is not possible to apply for a TRP online! Temporary Resident Permit applications must be mailed away to the Canadian Government or submitted by an authorized representative of IRCC such as a TRP lawyer.

A few posts on Reddit claim that if you do not have the latest version of Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat, some PDF documents on the official Canadian immigration website, including the TRP form, can say "to view the full content of this document, you need a later version of the PDF viewer" or "if this message is not eventually replaced by the proper contents of the document, your PDF viewer may not be able to display this type of document." We have not independently verified these claims, but we have received many phone calls from people who spent countless hours trying to access or download a copy of Temporary Resident Permit application IMM 1444 (technically it is imm1444E.pdf since it is the English version) only to finally conclude that they are better off seeking help from a qualified professional.

TRP Application Form vs. Criminal Rehabilitation Form

When trying to identify the proper Temporary Resident Permit Canada application form, some people are confused by the Criminal Rehabilitation application form. Applying for Criminal Rehabilitation is a more extensive process that can usually takes 6 to 12 months and is only available to American citizens who finished their entire sentence at least five years prior. A Rehabilitation application is not the same thing as a TRP application, but the IMM 1444 Criminal Rehabilitation form may be used when applying for a Temporary Resident Permit. This being said, there are key differences between applying for a TRP and applying for Criminal Rehabilitation which should be clearly understood.

The Canadian Government's processing fee can also be different when submitting a Temporary Resident Permit form instead of requesting permanent Rehabilitation. For example, the price of TRP processing for a US citizen with a serious conviction may be cheaper than the price of Criminal Rehabilitation processing. It is also important to note that the processing fee for TRP forms is listed on Canada.ca in Canadian Dollars (CAD) not American Dollars (USD). If you work with a Temporary Resident Permit attorney, however, he or she will typically collect the equivalent amount in US Dollars and handle the currency exchange for you to make your life as easy as possible.

Problems Accessing IMM1444 Temporary Resident Permit Canada?

Many Canadian immigration forums and messages boards contain posts about people unable to access the official IRCC IMM1444 file. Some Reddit users shared with the "R/DUI" community that they simply do not understand how an organization as professional as the IRCC can have PDF documents on their website that they cannot get to work. Some of these people allege that when they click on the link to the IRCC Canada Temporary Resident Permit form, they are told they need a newer version of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader even if they have the latest version installed on their computer.

At the end of the day, Citizenship and Immigration Canada does not necessarily consider "criminality" as high priority and focuses most their resources on standard immigration programs such as the new Express Entry program. For example: if you need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) in order to travel to Canada, the IRCC website will tell you exactly how many days your local Canadian embassy is taking to process applications. When you submit a Canadian Temporary Resident Permit form on the other hand, the Government offers limited official guidance on processing times and it could be several weeks faster or slower than you expect.

When attempting to download the IMM 1444 PDF document online, some people allegedly conclude that making it easy for foreign nationals with criminal records to enter the country is not one of the highest priorities for the governmental agency. We have been told by some people that they believe the Government of Canada is likely in no rush to deal with the problems some people are claiming to have with the PDF Temporary Resident Permit application form. This is likely an incorrect assumption, however, as our Canadian immigration law firm has received many inquiries over the years from individuals having various issues with the Canada.ca website. The Canada Temporary Resident Permit form is far from the only Canadian immigration application form people have issues with, so if you have trouble downloading the Temporary Resident Permit Canada form (IMM 1444) it is likely not specific to that PDF and may be a generic technical problem. While it can be burdensome to apply for Temporary Resident Permit DUI entry, especially if you have more than one offense, finding the correct Canada TRP form should not be too onerous.

Difficulty figuring out how to download the Temporary Resident Permit Canada form? Questions about entering Canada with a criminal history? Contact our law office now for a free consultation (no-cost and no-obligation).