Travel or Move to Canada With a Past Conviction

What Is a TRP in Canada?

Quick answer: A TRP, or Temporary Resident Permit, is a special permit that lets a person who is inadmissible to Canada (for example, because of a criminal conviction) enter or stay in Canada for a specific purpose and period, up to 3 years. It is discretionary. You must show that your reason for coming to Canada outweighs any risk. The TRP fee is CAD 246.25 from 1 December 2025. A TRP is temporary, so many people also apply for criminal rehabilitation to resolve the issue permanently.

What Is Criminal Inadmissibility to Canada?

Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, you can be inadmissible if you have been convicted of, or committed, an offence outside Canada that would be an offence in Canada. It does not matter that the offence happened in the UK, that it was minor there, or that it is now “spent”. Canada compares your offence with its Canadian equivalent and places it in one of two categories:

• Criminality: offences with a maximum Canadian penalty under 10 years.
• Serious criminality: offences with a maximum Canadian penalty of 10 years or more, or a sentence of more than 6 months.

Inadmissibility can affect a short holiday, an eTA or visa, a work or study permit, and permanent residence through Express Entry or a provincial nominee programme.

UK Drink Driving and Drug Driving: Can I Enter Canada?

This is one of the most common issues for UK travellers. On 18 December 2018, Canada raised the maximum penalty for impaired driving to 10 years. This means a UK conviction for drink driving, drug driving or failing to provide a specimen is now treated as serious criminality. As a result:

• Deemed rehabilitation no longer applies to impaired driving, however long ago it was.
• You usually need a TRP to travel within 5 years of finishing your sentence, including any driving ban.
• After 5 years, you can apply for criminal rehabilitation, which costs CAD 1,231 for serious criminality.

Older convictions are generally assessed against today’s Canadian law, so a drink driving conviction from many years ago can still cause problems.

Three Ways to Overcome Criminal Inadmissibility

When to apply for a TRP

A TRP is useful if you are still within 5 years of completing your sentence, or if you need to travel while your rehabilitation application is being processed, which can take many months. Strong TRP applications show:

• a clear and important reason for travel, such as a business contract, a family wedding or funeral, or a job;
• a low risk to Canadians; and
• strong ties to the UK.

Criminal rehabilitation

Criminal rehabilitation is a one-time application that permanently removes inadmissibility for the offences it covers. You must wait at least 5 years after the end of your entire sentence, which can include fines, community orders, probation and driving disqualifications. IRCC looks at your conduct since the offence, your stability and your character references.

Applying From the UK: eTA, ACRO and Spent Convictions

• eTA: British citizens normally fly to Canada with an eTA. The eTA form asks about criminal convictions, and you must answer truthfully. Misrepresentation can lead to a 5-year ban.
• ACRO police certificate: this shows your UK record, including many spent convictions. Canada expects full disclosure, even if UK law treats the conviction as spent.
• Apply in advance: visa-exempt travellers can sometimes request a TRP at the border, but this is risky and discretionary. Applying in advance through IRCC is safer, especially for business or family travel you cannot miss.

Criminal Inadmissibility and Canadian PR

If you plan to immigrate permanently, resolve criminal inadmissibility first. A conviction can lead to refusal even after you receive an ITA or a provincial nomination from programmes such as the Ontario PNP, BC PNP, Alberta PNP, Manitoba PNP, Nova Scotia PNP, New Brunswick PNP or the Northwest Territories PNP. If you are already eligible, apply for criminal rehabilitation before or alongside your PR planning. Check your PR points with our Canada PR points calculator.

Some criminal charges and convictions can also affect Canadian citizenship applications later. Explore all routes on our Migrate to Canada page.

What Is Not Criminal Inadmissibility?

• Minor road traffic offences such as speeding or parking fines are generally not criminal offences.
• Offences that are not crimes in Canada usually do not make you inadmissible.
• Some cautions, conditional discharges and pardons are treated differently.

Each case depends on the exact UK offence and its Canadian equivalent, so professional review is important.

How GIEC Global Helps With Criminal Inadmissibility and TRPs

GIEC Global’s Canada immigration consultants help UK clients with past convictions overcome criminal inadmissibility to Canada:

• review your ACRO certificate and court records;
• compare your offence with Canadian law and identify the right route;
• prepare TRP applications with a strong reason for travel and evidence;
• prepare criminal rehabilitation applications with references and personal statements; and
• plan visits, work permits or PR safely around your record.

Complex cases, such as serious or multiple convictions, may need advice from a licensed Canadian immigration lawyer or RCIC, which we can help you arrange.

Reviewed by the GIEC Global Canada immigration team. Information reflects IRCC fees from 1 December 2025, impaired driving rules in force since 18 December 2018, and current rehabilitation guidance. Last reviewed 31 October 2026. Admissibility decisions are discretionary and depend on individual facts – this page is general information, not legal advice.