Desperate for some advice.

[Canada_Traveler]

Hello,

My in-laws booked a big multi-generation Alaskan cruise for the whole family. The cruise is in July. I have an arrest for a DUI on my record but it was pled down to a DWAI-no criminal conviction, just an arrest. I only found out that this will cause me to be inadmissible to enter Canada recently. Our cruise leaves Seward, Alaska & ends in Vancouver. As soon as I found out this will be an issue, I started the paperwork the Canada consulate emailed me. I mailed it to the Los Angeles office, overnight, and the USPS tracking confirmed it was delivered April 17th. I have not gotten any information from Canada. I’m just wondering if I should have gotten at least a confirmation that they did in fact receive it & it’s being processed. I’m so worried that I’m just sitting here waiting for an answer but they’ve actually never even received it because it was misplaced or something. Everywhere I call says not to call in regards to your TRP processing. I’ve tried emailing, no answer. I’ve tried looking up on their database & they can’t find it. I’m at a loss & worried as the trip is only two months away now. I work in NYC and I’m tempted to show up to the consulate to ask for advice but they warn not to. I don’t mind waiting, or even the denial, then I at least know, it’s the lack of communication that’s worrisome as I don’t know what to think & my nerves & imagination is getting the best of me.

Any advice???

THANK YOU for any help you can offer!!!

 

[scylla]

Hello,

My in-laws booked a big multi-generation Alaskan cruise for the whole family. The cruise is in July. I have an arrest for a DUI on my record but it was pled down to a DWAI-no criminal conviction, just an arrest. I only found out that this will cause me to be inadmissible to enter Canada recently. Our cruise leaves Seward, Alaska & ends in Vancouver. As soon as I found out this will be an issue, I started the paperwork the Canada consulate emailed me. I mailed it to the Los Angeles office, overnight, and the USPS tracking confirmed it was delivered April 17th. I have not gotten any information from Canada. I’m just wondering if I should have gotten at least a confirmation that they did in fact receive it & it’s being processed. I’m so worried that I’m just sitting here waiting for an answer but they’ve actually never even received it because it was misplaced or something. Everywhere I call says not to call in regards to your TRP processing. I’ve tried emailing, no answer. I’ve tried looking up on their database & they can’t find it. I’m at a loss & worried as the trip is only two months away now. I work in NYC and I’m tempted to show up to the consulate to ask for advice but they warn not to. I don’t mind waiting, or even the denial, then I at least know, it’s the lack of communication that’s worrisome as I don’t know what to think & my nerves & imagination is getting the best of me.

Any advice???

THANK YOU for any help you can offer!!!

I'm assuming you applied for a TRP. If so, I don't believe confirmations are sent and there's really no way to get any material updates while the application is being processed. All you can do is wait.

Is there a reason you only applied in April? You first posted about this issue on this forum back in December. That's a lot of lost time.

Processing times for TRPs can be quite long and there's no guarantee you will have a decision before your trip. Consider driving to the border and applying there. Processing is substanially faster when you do this.

The NY consulate can't and won't help you.

 

[Canada_Traveler]

I'm assuming you applied for a TRP. If so, I don't believe confirmations are sent and there's really no way to get any material updates while the application is being processed. All you can do is wait.

Is there a reason you only applied in April? You first posted about this issue on this forum back in December. That's a lot of lost time.

Processing times for TRPs can be quite long and there's no guarantee you will have a decision before your trip. Consider driving to the border and applying there. Processing is substanially faster when you do this.

The NY consulate can't and won't help you.

Thank you for your response! Yes, TRP.

When I first got into this mess I went on the Canada website to look up processing times & it said 26 days. I felt it would be better that I waited until all the legal stuff was done & I had all the paperwork together rather than sending it incomplete. Because I saw 26 days, it wasn’t a thought in my mind that it wouldn’t be enough time. Most important to me was getting it right. Only lately did I see that on their sight, the 26 day estimate, isn’t the exact thing, TRP, that I applied for. There is no selection for an actual TRP, only wordage that sounds similar that now in my experience I recognize isn’t exact.

This absolute critical lapse in judgment on my part is the first & only time I have ever found myself in anything like this situation in my 44 years. Believe it or not, I am actually a very “by the book” & “do things the right way & follow the law” type of person. My dwai was only this past October when waiting 4 hours and getting something to eat after having 4 beers in 5 hours was not enough. I thought I did all the right things but unfortunately it was not enough as I didn’t factor in I had been fasting so the beers hit my body harder than normal, even though I felt fully in control. It took me to mid-March to complete the course I had to take & get my full license back. That’s why I couldn’t until April.

I so appreciate your response. I’ll just continue to wait it out. This trip was booked by my in-laws before my stupid mistake otherwise we would have waited to get the TRP first. Thank you!

 

[scylla]

Thank you for your response! Yes, TRP.

When I first got into this mess I went on the Canada website to look up processing times & it said 26 days. I felt it would be better that I waited until all the legal stuff was done & I had all the paperwork together rather than sending it incomplete. Because I saw 26 days, it wasn’t a thought in my mind that it wouldn’t be enough time. Most important to me was getting it right. Only lately did I see that on their sight, the 26 day estimate, isn’t the exact thing, TRP, that I applied for. There is no selection for an actual TRP, only wordage that sounds similar that now in my experience I recognize isn’t exact.

This absolute critical lapse in judgment on my part is the first & only time I have ever found myself in anything like this situation in my 44 years. Believe it or not, I am actually a very “by the book” & “do things the right way & follow the law” type of person. My dwai was only this past October when waiting 4 hours and getting something to eat after having 4 beers in 5 hours was not enough. I thought I did all the right things but unfortunately it was not enough as I didn’t factor in I had been fasting so the beers hit my body harder than normal, even though I felt fully in control. It took me to mid-March to complete the course I had to take & get my full license back. That’s why I couldn’t until April.

I so appreciate your response. I’ll just continue to wait it out. This trip was booked by my in-laws before my stupid mistake otherwise we would have waited to get the TRP first. Thank you!

Understood.

Yes, the 26 days you saw is for TRV processing, not TRP processing. TRVs and TRPs are very different. TRP processing times are not published but are generally substanially longer.

If this trip is important, I would suggest speaking with a Canadian immigration lawyer to see if they would recommend submitting another application at the port of entry (i.e. driving up to the Canadian border and submitting an application there). Apart from that, there is really nothing you can do but wait and appreciate there is a chance you may not be able to join the rest of your family on this trip.

Good luck.