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Inadmissibility to Canada

Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)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.

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  • RCIC-led
  • Brampton & London
  • Urgent travel supported
A bright airport corridor of glass walls leading to a tall window over a lake and forested hills, a hand holding a red travel document sleeve

It turns on one test: does your reason to be here outweigh the risk?

Do not travel to the border and hope for the best.

Arriving without addressing inadmissibility can mean refused entry, a formal record, and a removal order that makes every future application harder. Resolve it first.

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.

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

02How many convictions do you have?

03Was it a serious offence?

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

The test

What an officer is weighing.

  1. 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.

  2. How serious the inadmissibility is

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

  3. 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.

  4. Evidence of rehabilitation

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

  5. Risk to Canadians

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

  6. 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.

Temporary resident permit, per person
$246.25
Criminal rehabilitation, criminality
$246.25
Criminal rehabilitation, serious criminality
$1,231
Authorization to return to Canada
$492.50

Source: IRCC fee list (opens in a new tab) (government fees), verified October 9, 2026. IRCC states that regular TRP applications have no standard processing time (Source: canada.ca (opens in a new tab), verified October 9, 2026).

How we work

How we build a TRP application.

  1. Step 1

    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.

  2. Step 2

    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.

  3. Step 3

    Prepare complete disclosure

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

  4. Step 4

    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.

Contact us today to discuss your case

Questions about inadmissibility and TRPs? Every common question — eligibility, documents, timing, fees and processing — is answered in the Help Centre.

Related services

Explore your other options.

General information only, not legal advice. Rules, fees and processing times change — confirm current requirements on canada.ca before filing. Official source: canada.ca, temporary resident permits. A TRP is discretionary and never guaranteed, and it is not a substitute for rehabilitation. Contacting us does not create a client–consultant relationship until a written retainer is signed. IRCC makes all final decisions.

Good to know

Questions, answered.

The questions we hear most on this topic, answered by our consultants. The full list is in the Help Centre.

What can make someone inadmissible?
Criminality, misrepresentation, medical grounds, security concerns, and non-compliance with immigration law. An old or minor conviction abroad can be enough, and Canadian law — not the law where it happened — decides how it is classified.
What is a Temporary Resident Permit?
A discretionary permit allowing an inadmissible person to enter or stay for a limited time and purpose, where the need to be in Canada outweighs the risk. It does not erase the inadmissibility.
Is a DUI really that serious?
Yes. Impaired driving is generally treated as serious criminality in Canada, which makes many people inadmissible even for a single old offence. It is one of the most common reasons travellers are turned away.
What is criminal rehabilitation?
The permanent fix. Once enough time has passed since your sentence was completed you may apply to have the inadmissibility resolved for good. For a single non-serious offence, enough elapsed time can even resolve it automatically.
What happens if I just try my luck at the border?
An officer can refuse you entry and record it, which makes every future application harder. Address inadmissibility before you travel, not at the counter.

More questions on this topic are answered in the Help Centre.

Next on your path

Keep your file moving.

The checklist, free tools and guides that usually come next.

  1. Free toolPolice certificate finderWhich countries need one, and how to get it.
  2. GuideHumanitarian and compassionateWhen the regular rules don't fit your case.
  3. GuideRefusals and remediesReapply, reconsider or go to Federal Court.
  4. GuideVisitor visasPurpose, ties and funds that read clearly.
  5. GuideFamily violence permitsStatus of your own, away from abuse.

TRP review

Is a temporary resident permit your only way in?

Send a few details. A licensed RCIC reads your profile personally, then replies with the routes that genuinely fit, the ones that do not, and the consultation fee and next available times.

  1. 01Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant
  2. 02A written shortlist of the programs you qualify for
  3. 03Fee-based; the fee and times come by reply

CHK Immigration Services, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions. Prefer to talk first? Call 647-948-7200 or book a paid consultation.