Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)
A temporary resident permit allows someone who is otherwise inadmissible to enter or stay in Canada. It does not remove the inadmissibility — it sets it aside for a defined purpose and period. The test is whether your need to be in Canada outweighs the risk, and that is a judgement the officer makes on the evidence you put in front of them.
The test, in IRCC's own terms
Your need to enter or stay in Canada must outweigh the health or safety risks to Canadian society. That is the whole standard. It means a TRP application is not primarily a legal argument — it is a case built on what you need to do here, why it matters, and why you are not a risk.
- ● A TRP is issued for a limited period and can be cancelled at any time.
- ● A TRP valid for six months or more lets you apply for a work or study permit.
- ● Fee: $246.25 per person, non-refundable.
- ● No fee applies for victims of human trafficking, victims of family violence, or foreign nationals formerly in state care — including their work and study permits and biometrics.
Criminal rehabilitation — the permanent fix
Where a TRP is a workaround, rehabilitation resolves the inadmissibility itself.
- ● Individual rehabilitation: available once at least five years have passed since the end of the sentence, including any probation. Fee $246.25 for criminality, $1,231 for serious criminality.
- ● Deemed rehabilitation: automatic after ten years for a single offence whose Canadian equivalent carries a maximum under ten years, with no serious property damage, physical harm or weapon; or after five years where there are two or more summary convictions. Not available for serious criminality.
- ● Canadian convictions require a record suspension from the Parole Board of Canada — rehabilitation does not apply.
- ● Authorisation to Return to Canada, where separately required, is $492.50.
IRCC publishes no service standard for TRP or rehabilitation applications, and its own guide says rehabilitation takes over a year. Anyone promising you a specific turnaround is guessing.
Where the work actually is
These applications succeed or fail on the record. Court documents, sentencing information, proof the sentence was completed, evidence of what has changed since, and a clear, honest account of the offence itself. Understating or reframing what happened is the fastest route to a refusal, and it damages credibility on everything else in the file.
Equally, the need side matters as much as the risk side. A TRP application that establishes exactly why you need to be in Canada — a business obligation, a family event, employment — is stronger than one that simply asks for permission.
Getting advice early
The most common thing we see is someone who was turned back at the border, or refused a visa, and did not realise inadmissibility was the reason. If a decision letter mentions section 36 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, or if you have any conviction anywhere, including impaired driving, it is worth a conversation before applying again. Reapplying without addressing it produces the same result and adds a refusal to your history.
Reviewed by a licensed RCIC · Last updated 13 August 2026. Immigration rules change often — confirm anything time-sensitive with us or on canada.ca.
Looking for related services? See our full Temporary Residency overview or all services.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a TRP and criminal rehabilitation?
A TRP sets your inadmissibility aside for a limited period and purpose — it is a permission, not a cure, and it can be cancelled. Rehabilitation resolves the inadmissibility permanently, so you no longer need a permit each time. Rehabilitation requires five years to have passed since the end of your sentence; a TRP has no waiting period.
How long does a TRP take?
IRCC publishes no service standard for temporary resident permits, and its own guide says rehabilitation applications take over a year. Any timeline you are quoted is an estimate, not a commitment, and it depends heavily on where and how the application is made.
Does a DUI make me inadmissible to Canada?
Impaired driving is treated seriously in Canadian immigration law and can render someone inadmissible, including for offences committed abroad. Whether it amounts to criminality or serious criminality depends on the equivalent Canadian offence and the date. It is worth checking rather than assuming, in either direction.
Can I apply for a work permit with a TRP?
Yes, if the permit is valid for six months or more. That is one of the practical reasons the length of a TRP matters as much as getting one at all, and it is worth addressing directly in the application.
Do I have to disclose an old conviction?
Yes. Non-disclosure is misrepresentation, which carries a five-year bar and is far harder to overcome than the original inadmissibility. Disclosing and addressing an old offence properly is almost always a better position than hoping it will not surface.
Still unsure how this applies to your case? Book an appointment with a licensed RCIC.
More Temporary Residency services
Other pathways we handle in this area — or talk to a licensed RCIC about which fits your case.
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