Business Meetings and Conventioneers

Visitor Relief – Business Meetings / Conventioneers[1]

The vast majority of business travelers entering Canada have no idea that a misdemeanor conviction can potentially (and very likely) bar them from entering Canada.

If you are planning a business trip to Canada and have a criminal record, our firm may be able to file a special waiver called a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) that can override your inadmissibility for the duration of your business meeting or convention.

A consular TRP takes approximately 8 months to process. As most business trips are organized within 10 to 20 days (and often within 24 hours), the chance of obtaining a formal TRP through the Canadian Consulate General or Embassy is next to zero. How many business trips do you know of that are organized 8 months ahead of time?

In all likelihood, therefore, your waiver will have to be submitted at the border. While this presents a great deal of anxiety for the traveler, rest assured that our experienced team will know if your purpose in Canada fits the parameters of the waiver program. If we agree that you have a significant probability of success, our point-of-entry packets will provide a thorough Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) request in a manner that an officer will find up to standard.

On average, we send 2 clients a week through a given point-of-entry of Canada. We know what officers find pertinent and what they deem superfluous. We are very familiar with the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) vernacular and we’re careful to draft a narrative in a manner that is consistent with their operational manuals (and within the confines of the law). Familiarity and consistency, along with a compact and well organized packet are the hallmarks of our success at the border.

We prepare waivers for all types of business needs; ranging from the 24-hour pass to cover a single meeting to the 6- to 12-month waiver covering multiple trips for the complex assignment or project.

Regardless of what your needs are and when your trip is scheduled for, we invite you to contact our firm to assess if your business entry would qualify for a waiver. A consultation will discuss your eligibility for a TRP at the border, time-frame to prepare a packet, costs, filing strategy, probability of a successful outcome based on your circumstances, and allow plenty of time for your important questions.

[1] Point of entry packets are only available for nationals that are visa-exempt in Canada such as US nationals, Australians, New Zealanders, Koreans, Japanese and UK/EU passport holders. For a list of visa-exempt countries, click here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas-all.asp#exemptions