Temporary resident visa while awaiting rehabilitation application

[bosh]

My wife was convicted of a DUI 7 years ago, we are (thought we were) moving to Toronto for me to start a job in September. We will be applying for rehabilitation to remove her inadmissibility to Canada, but understand the process takes a year or longer to complete. I'm trying to figure out ways to minimize the amount of time we have to spend apart over this period (we have a 2 year old son). I understand that she can still apply for a temporary resident visa, and I have a couple questions:

1) Can anyone give me a sense of how likely she is to be granted such a visa? Obviously a DUI is a serious offense. Both before and after the incident her record is completely clean, she completed a masters after college and has been employed full time since then as a speech pathologist (6 years). In Canada, her plan was to stay home and take care of our son.

2) Should we apply in person at the border or apply online? I understand that the online application can take about 10 months. Is this correct? Is she more likely to be accepted one way or the other? Is the decision up to the discretion of the officer at the border? Or are there hard and fast rules that I can look up somewhere?

3) Does anyone have a sense of how long she's likely to be allowed to remain in Canada? I think the maximum is six months, but maybe they would not grant that in this case?

Thanks so much for your time. The idea of being away from my son for over a year is very painful!

 

[Ponga]

Sorry, I meant to suggest a TRP (Temporary Resident PERMIT) in your other thread, NOT a TRV.

If your wife is fortunate enough to encounter a sympathetic border office that discusses the TRP, she should think in terms of days, or perhaps a week or two...rather than `months'.

As you said yourself, this is a serious issue of inadmissibility, so even if the TRP is offered as an option, it's only meant to be a short authorization to enter Canada.

http://www.immigroup.com/temporary-resident-permit

 

[bosh]

Thanks Ponga. I see now that the TRV is only for people with no criminal activity. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Ponga]

You're welcome.

It would seem to me that requesting the application for the TRP at the POE, would be a better choice than applying online.

Having your wife looking into the eyes of the border officer at the Port of Entry, puts a face to the application...which could only help, IMHO.

Good luck!

 

[Ponga]

Keep in mind that if she does get the TRP, it will be very temporary. You will likely be without your wife (and perhaps your son) for teh rest of your time in Canada.

There are many ways to be `paid' in life.

Is the financial pay worth the price of not being with your family?

Is the job really that good?


Good luck to you all.