TRP for victims of family violence: who qualifies, the 12-month permit and how to apply

By Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha, lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation · Reviewed November 14, 2026

Published November 14, 2026

Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha is a lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation, called to the BC bar in 2019, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Updated November 14, 2026: IRCC’s family violence TRP instructions (modified April 4, 2025), Ministerial Instructions MI82 and IRCC’s options page (modified March 12, 2026) checked that day.

The temporary resident permit for victims of family violence (often called the FV TRP or family violence TRP) is a special permit for people whose path to permanent residence collapsed because of abuse. It gives you status while you leave the relationship and decide what to do next. The rules changed on February 4, 2025: the minimum length went from 6 to 12 months, and the fees for the permit, the work and study permits and biometrics are now waived for first and later permits. Many guides online still say 6 months.

Lawgical Law Corporation, an immigration law firm in Surrey, Abbotsford and Vancouver, BC, prepares family violence TRP applications and the H&C applications that usually follow; this guide is by Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha.

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Who qualifies for a TRP for family violence

Under Ministerial Instructions MI82, the officer must find reasonable grounds to believe that you:

• are physically in Canada and out of status;
• are experiencing abuse (physical, sexual, psychological or financial abuse, or neglect) from your spouse or common-law partner in Canada; and
• are seeking permanent residence that depends on staying in a genuine relationship with that partner (for example, a pending or withdrawn spousal sponsorship, or a sponsorship you were told had been filed but wasn’t).

People who still have status through another program are expected to extend it instead. Refugee claimants and protected persons who haven’t applied for PR are not eligible.

Family violence TRP and open work permit: what you get

How to apply for the family violence TRP

1. Forms: IMM 5708 (TRP), IMM 5710 (work permit), IMM 5709 (study permit, if needed), IMM 5476 (if you have a representative).
2. A document with safe contact details: a phone number and address your partner doesn’t control.
3. Passport and identity documents, and the evidence of abuse.
4. Mail to IRCC’s Vulnerable Persons Unit: FV, IRCC – VPU, 5343 Dundas Street West, Suite 105, Toronto, ON M9B 6K5. Write “FV” on the envelope and use tracked mail.

The officer may decide on the documents alone or call you for an interview (in person, video or phone). If IRCC can’t reach you after two tries, it decides on the file, so keep your contact details current.

What the officer weighs

Once the abuse is established, MI82 lists the reasons a permit can be issued: a period of reflection to consider your options, escaping the abuser’s influence, your ties to Canada, child custody or other family law matters, and any other reason that protects you. Your submission should speak to each one. A refusal will often say your presence in Canada isn’t necessary or that you are no longer under the abuser’s influence, so explain why both are wrong in your case.

Evidence that works

• Your own detailed, dated statement: what happened, how it affected you, and why you depended on your partner for status.
• Police reports, peace bonds or protection orders, criminal charges.
• Letters from a shelter, counsellor, doctor or settlement worker.
• Messages, emails and photos, with certified translations.
• Proof of the sponsorship (or the withdrawal letter) and your status history.

After the TRP

The permit is a bridge, not an end. Most people use the time to file a humanitarian and compassionate application, which IRCC fast-tracks in urgent family violence cases: see H&C applications for survivors of family violence. If the TRP is refused, see a refused family violence TRP. This is a different program from temporary resident permits for inadmissibility, which is for criminal and other inadmissibility.

Why the family violence TRP needs a lawyer

One lawyer, one file, every step:

• checking that you are eligible before you file (status, relationship, sponsorship history);
• a written submission that proves the abuse and answers each MI82 consideration;
• the open work permit and study permit filed with the TRP;
• the H&C application that follows, and a Federal Court challenge if needed.

Officers can and do decide these applications without an interview, so the file has to stand on its own.

Immigration lawyers are members of a provincial law society (in our case, the Law Society of British Columbia), and only a lawyer can represent you in the Federal Court if a refusal has to be challenged there. An immigration consultant cannot appear in that court for you.

Mistakes I have seen

• Relying on screenshots alone. Officers have found messages don’t show abuse without the applicant’s own statement explaining them.
• Sending messages that aren’t in English or French without certified translations.
• Focusing on abuse by parents or in-laws. The TRP is about abuse by a spouse or common-law partner; other abuse belongs in the H&C.
• Not explaining why you need to stay: family court, safety planning, children, counselling, or the H&C you are preparing.
• Applying while you still have valid status without explaining why an extension isn’t enough.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a TRP for victims of family violence?

At least 12 months since February 4, 2025. A later TRP can be issued if you still need it.

Is there a fee?

No fee for the first or a later family violence TRP, the work or study permit, or biometrics.

Can I work on a family violence TRP?

Yes. With a TRP of 180 days or more you can get a fee-free open work permit, applied for at the same time.

Do I need to be out of status?

Yes. If you still have status, IRCC expects you to extend it instead, unless there is a good reason it can’t help.

Where do I send the application?

To IRCC’s Vulnerable Persons Unit in Toronto, with “FV” on the envelope.

What if it’s refused?

You can ask for it to be considered as a regular TRP (a fee applies), apply again with better evidence, or challenge the refusal in the Federal Court.

Related guides: immigration options for victims of family violence; H&C applications for survivors of family violence; a refused family violence TRP; temporary resident permits for inadmissibility.

What should I do right now?

Find your passport, your last immigration document and any sponsorship letters, and start a written timeline of the abuse. Keep it somewhere your partner can’t see.

Book a consultation with our immigration lawyers in Surrey, Abbotsford or Vancouver, or online from anywhere.

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Sources (official)

• IRCC: Temporary resident permit (TRP) for victims of family violence (program delivery instructions) (modified April 4, 2025)
• IRCC program delivery update: TRPs for victims of human trafficking and family violence (April 4, 2025; Ministerial Instructions in force February 4, 2025)
• Ministerial Instructions (MI82) under IRPA s. 24(3) concerning foreign nationals who are victims of family violence (modified February 4, 2025)
• IRCC: Immigration options for victims of family violence (modified March 12, 2026)
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 24 (temporary resident permits)

This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts.