Pardon and Waiver Time Frames

The first thing you need to know about processing either a pardon or a waiver application is that pardon and waiver time frames cannot be guaranteed under any circumstances. Any company claiming otherwise is being dishonest and should be avoided.

Furthermore any company claiming to leverage contacts or use inside knowledge to get your pardon or waiver file through faster than the next guy is clearly not being honest. These companies should be avoided.

Pardon and Waiver time frames are decided mostly by the government agencies involved in gathering the documentation that is needed. It is also dependent on how organized your pardon and waiver services provider is.

Despite all of the above a pardon and waiver services company that is well organized should be able to quote you a reasonable time frame based on past experiences.

Below you will find the current expectations at the National Pardon Centre. Please keep in mind that these time frames are only updated when we experience significant processing changes. Therefore if you are looking for the best and most current estimate possible you may want to call a counsellor to discuss.

The average turn-around time for a Canadian pardon (record suspension) application start to finish is currently 12 months. However, we are seeing some files come back as quickly as 4 months.

Average turn-around times for US entry waiver applications have held steady for several years now and normally fall between 8 – 12 months.

Applicants who have a pardon or no criminal record to report can normally get files completed several months faster. This is due to a faster turn-around time when certifying fingerprints with the RCMP.