Hey all! Well, I bit the bullet and decided to randomly try to enter Canada over this weekend. The results weren't what we were hoping for, but we sure did learn a lot about everything.
Preface: I am considered criminally inadmissible in Canada. I applied for a TRP and the consulate received my application last week. However, my fiance and I found out that they're still taking TRP applications at the border (at least, at the airport), even during all of this covid-19 business. We found this out on Thursday (4/30/2020) and I was on an airplane to Canada (Calgary airport, to be specific) the next day (5/1/2020). I have a sex offense (solicitation charge) that I was convicted of Feb. 2016 and my parole ended Jan. 2017 (and yes, my fiance knows about everything). Anyway, part of what I packed was all of the paperwork for the TRP that I had -- FBI report, court disposition, character reference letters (I had 3), letter of invitation, etc.
Arriving in Canada: So, I finally landed in Calgary at about 1pm Friday afternoon. Made it through everything up to customs. Of course I was flagged at some point during my travels, and I was 100% expecting it. The border guards were all extremely polite, caring, understanding, etc. Anyway, I was dealing with 3 main border guards. It seemed they were going to permit me to enter, however I ended up being detained. After speaking with their supervisor (who again, was an AMAZING person), he explained that there were just too many factors against me at that time. He said that if just a single factor were different, they would've ultimately allowed me entry to be with my fiance at the time.
So, for instance, even though my travel was non-essential, if I didn't have a criminal record, they would've allowed me entry. And even with being criminally inadmissible, the supervisor said they would've allowed me entry if we were actual spouses (e.g. married, not just engaged). Ultimately, as I said, I was detained (and put in a holding cell) and was told the airport bought me a ticket back home for Sunday (5/4/2020). As you can imagine, I didn't want to spend all day Saturday in a holding cell, so once they gave me my cell phone back, I immediately purchased a plane ticket home -- I flew out Saturday.
Gathered Information: The best part about this entire situation is the fact they gave us a ton of useful information. The border guards confirmed that while I AM criminally inadmissible (currently), my charges are essentially summary charges -- e.g. my crime(s) in Canada would've only amounted to 1 year of jail time (so, the lowest form of crime in Canada). The border guards also told me about the Canadian consulate in Chicago, and advised I talk to them, though ultimately my TRP application would need to be sent into either the New York or Los Angeles consulate for processing. The supervisor also told me that once the consulate issues me a TRP, he said while border guards CAN still technically deny you entry, he said 99.9% of them wouldn't (he even recommended arriving through Calgary again once I'm issued my TRP, as he said they "wouldn't forget me").
Consequences: I ultimately wasn't punished (outside of being detained) for attempting to enter. They gave me the choice of withdrawing my application to enter Canada, and in exchange, it would be like I never attempted to enter (meaning I wasn't going to get banned from attempting to re-enter). They did say that being denied entry DOES show up on my passport/history/whatever it is, but the supervisor said that being denied entry isn't used against you in regards to applying for anything. He stated it's more-so just them "keeping record" of everything that happened. And finally, I asked about the odds of a TRP being approved, and he straight out told me he has only heard of a handful of TRPs be denied in his ~18 years of being on the job, and that's primarily because those individuals were convicted of extreme things (e.g. terrorism, murder, etc.). He said in general, the consulate processes TRP applications in 2-4 months, and that they can issue multiple-entry TRPs and that a TRP can be good for up to 3 years. He also stated that once my approval comes in, I can continually renew my TRP while in Canada up until I'm able to go through the criminal rehabilitation process.
Conclusion: The border guards were all amazing and knowing they would've let me enter had we been legitimately married does give me hope. So, once the border opens (currently planned for May 20/21, though it'll probably get pushed back because of covid-19), my fiance will be coming to the states so that we could get officially married. By the time that happens, I should only be 1-2 months away from receiving my approved TRP.
That's all! Just wanted to share my experience(s). I hope this helps someone out there.
Preface: I am considered criminally inadmissible in Canada. I applied for a TRP and the consulate received my application last week. However, my fiance and I found out that they're still taking TRP applications at the border (at least, at the airport), even during all of this covid-19 business. We found this out on Thursday (4/30/2020) and I was on an airplane to Canada (Calgary airport, to be specific) the next day (5/1/2020). I have a sex offense (solicitation charge) that I was convicted of Feb. 2016 and my parole ended Jan. 2017 (and yes, my fiance knows about everything). Anyway, part of what I packed was all of the paperwork for the TRP that I had -- FBI report, court disposition, character reference letters (I had 3), letter of invitation, etc.
Arriving in Canada: So, I finally landed in Calgary at about 1pm Friday afternoon. Made it through everything up to customs. Of course I was flagged at some point during my travels, and I was 100% expecting it. The border guards were all extremely polite, caring, understanding, etc. Anyway, I was dealing with 3 main border guards. It seemed they were going to permit me to enter, however I ended up being detained. After speaking with their supervisor (who again, was an AMAZING person), he explained that there were just too many factors against me at that time. He said that if just a single factor were different, they would've ultimately allowed me entry to be with my fiance at the time.
So, for instance, even though my travel was non-essential, if I didn't have a criminal record, they would've allowed me entry. And even with being criminally inadmissible, the supervisor said they would've allowed me entry if we were actual spouses (e.g. married, not just engaged). Ultimately, as I said, I was detained (and put in a holding cell) and was told the airport bought me a ticket back home for Sunday (5/4/2020). As you can imagine, I didn't want to spend all day Saturday in a holding cell, so once they gave me my cell phone back, I immediately purchased a plane ticket home -- I flew out Saturday.
Gathered Information: The best part about this entire situation is the fact they gave us a ton of useful information. The border guards confirmed that while I AM criminally inadmissible (currently), my charges are essentially summary charges -- e.g. my crime(s) in Canada would've only amounted to 1 year of jail time (so, the lowest form of crime in Canada). The border guards also told me about the Canadian consulate in Chicago, and advised I talk to them, though ultimately my TRP application would need to be sent into either the New York or Los Angeles consulate for processing. The supervisor also told me that once the consulate issues me a TRP, he said while border guards CAN still technically deny you entry, he said 99.9% of them wouldn't (he even recommended arriving through Calgary again once I'm issued my TRP, as he said they "wouldn't forget me").
Consequences: I ultimately wasn't punished (outside of being detained) for attempting to enter. They gave me the choice of withdrawing my application to enter Canada, and in exchange, it would be like I never attempted to enter (meaning I wasn't going to get banned from attempting to re-enter). They did say that being denied entry DOES show up on my passport/history/whatever it is, but the supervisor said that being denied entry isn't used against you in regards to applying for anything. He stated it's more-so just them "keeping record" of everything that happened. And finally, I asked about the odds of a TRP being approved, and he straight out told me he has only heard of a handful of TRPs be denied in his ~18 years of being on the job, and that's primarily because those individuals were convicted of extreme things (e.g. terrorism, murder, etc.). He said in general, the consulate processes TRP applications in 2-4 months, and that they can issue multiple-entry TRPs and that a TRP can be good for up to 3 years. He also stated that once my approval comes in, I can continually renew my TRP while in Canada up until I'm able to go through the criminal rehabilitation process.
Conclusion: The border guards were all amazing and knowing they would've let me enter had we been legitimately married does give me hope. So, once the border opens (currently planned for May 20/21, though it'll probably get pushed back because of covid-19), my fiance will be coming to the states so that we could get officially married. By the time that happens, I should only be 1-2 months away from receiving my approved TRP.
That's all! Just wanted to share my experience(s). I hope this helps someone out there.
