A US Entry Waiver Renewal is an inconvenient but necessary fact of life. The US government no longer issues permanent waivers. In fact, these days, they issue all waivers on a temporary basis. The first time you received a waiver, you may have ended up with a one year waiver. However, you have demonstrated good conduct for the time period of the waiver. Thus, the government will most likely give you a longer waiver. The maximum period of a waiver is five years.
Your particular situation may vary depending on the length of time since your sentence and the seriousness of the offence.
Now, it’s time to renew your waiver. What can you expect?
US Entry Waiver renewal steps
You should get started within six to eight months of your waiver expiry date. You have to repeat the steps you took initially. In most cases you cannot submit the same documents.
- You will probably need to get your fingerprints again. You may not think your fingerprints expire, but the government has other ideas!
- Then you will need to get your Certified Criminal Record from the RCMP as well as your police checks, affidavits and court documents.
- Fill out the application form again. If you have changed your reason for travelling, you should highlight this. For example, you were going for business, but that job is over. Now, you just want to travel for pleasure.
- You’ll need to redo letters and other supporting information.
- You will need to provide a copy of your current or most recent expired waiver.
- You’ll need to take the package to the border again and wait for a response.
Are you ready to renew your US Waiver?
Learn about your options.
What’s next?
The good news is that the US government’s Department of Homeland Security will not usually take as long on the second try.
As well, if you did your waiver with us, we can process it faster, because we already have all the preliminary information about your file. If you prefer to do it yourself, we also offer a Self-Guided Waiver Renewal service. Talk to your client adviser for more information.
Another benefit of renewal is that, if you haven’t had any problems with the courts or police since your past waiver, you probably won’t have to worry about being denied. This is a possibility that causes some anxiety for first time applicants. Keep in mind that other circumstances could cause a denial, for example:
- Unemployment
- Bankruptcy
- Being associated with the criminal activity of others
- Evidence of criminal activity that didn’t result in charges
- Legal or illegal cannabis use
If you already have a US Entry Waiver, you are well on your way to becoming eligible for a US Entry waiver renewal in the future.
Contact us today to get started on your renewal at 1-866-972-7366.