Leon said:
Maybe you mean TRP? Temporary resident permit, formerly called ministers permit, sometimes issued to people who are otherwise inadmissible to Canada. This is not the same as TRV, temporary resident visa also known as visitor visa.
Some people have been told while doing outland applications for spousal sponsorship that they can get TRP for their spouse until their application goes through. Somebody told you that you should/can apply for this? Did you try calling CIC/going to CIC office?
Sorry, this is not correct. People who are in Canada doing outland applications are not being given TRPs to stay in Canada with their spouse while waiting for PR. Someone who would need a TRP would NOT be eligible to apply for PR in the first place - that's why they'd need a TRP to come to Canada!
A Visitor Record is not the same thing as a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP), or a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV). A TRP is issued to someone who is otherwise inadmissible to Canada, to make an exception and allow them to enter Canada and stay for a specific period of time for some specific purpose. A TRV is a document that someone from a
non-visa-exempt country must apply for, and be granted, before they can board transport to Canada.
Visa-exempt nationals do not need to be "pre-authorized" to enter Canada - a visa-exempt national can apply for entry to Canada at a Canadian port of entry. There is no guarantee that a visa-exempt foreign national will be allowed to enter Canada (just like with a non-visa-exempt FN who applies for a TRV), but if a visa-exempt FN
is allowed to enter Canada, they're authorized to stay for up to six months. Sometimes circumstances will arise (like marriage between a Canadian and a visa-exempt foreign national) that might authorize the FN to remain in Canada for longer than six months - or an eligible visa-exempt FN may apply to extend their stay once they're in Canada. Visa-exempt foreign nationals who are either authorized to stay in Canada for six months or longer at a Canadian POE, or who are granted an extension to their stay after they enter Canada, will be issued a Visitor Record. The VR has an expiration date, so it only allows the FN to stay for a specific period of time - and then it must be renewed or the FN must leave Canada. It is not a re-entry permit, and it does not authorize work or study. A VR can also be used to
limit the stay of a visa-exempt FN in Canada.
So, basically, a VR is a way to show that Immigration Canada has given you legal authorization to be in Canada for a specific period of time . . . that's probably why the drivers' licence bureau is asking for one. There's more info about Visitor Records and how to get them at
this US2Canada link.
