What is a Single Journey Travel Document (IMM 5565 – SJTD)?

Author: Al Parsai, LL.M, RCIC-IRB

Last Updated On: July 3, 2021

The world of immigration is full of twists and turns. Regardless, the immigration authorities must come up with solutions for each of them. The Single Journey Travel Document (SJTD – IMM 5565B) is one of those solutions.

Who is a stateless person?
What is an SJTD anyway?
Are there any other uses for a Single Journey Travel Document?
Ask your immigration questions!

Who is a stateless person?

A stateless person is someone who is not a citizen of any country. As the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) portrayed, a stateless person is someone that no State accepts as their national. Of course, most people are nationals of at least one country by birth. This could be either because of their place of birth (e.g. Canada) or their parents. However, some people get caught in legal loopholes and remain stateless. How could a stateless person travel from one country to another country? While some permanent solutions for this problem, a Single Journey Travel Document (IMM 5565) could temporarily resolve it.

What is an SJTD (IMM 5565) anyway?

Imagine you need to travel to Canada. On the other hand, an immigration officer agrees to issue you a TRP. However, you do not have a passport or a valid travel document. Consequently, the officer attaches the TRP counterfoil to a single-page document. IRCC calls this document IMM 5565 or, as mentioned earlier, the Single Journey Travel Document or SJTD. Of course, they also affix your photo to it and indicate a validity period. Therefore, you could travel to Canada within the validity period only.

Are there any other uses for a Single Journey Travel Document?

Generally speaking, whenever you do not have a passport or travel document, an officer may use an SJTD (IMM 5565) to allow you to travel to Canada. Of course, they use it for special circumstances. For example, imagine a person who has fled their country because of their political views. They may refer to UNHCR, and ultimately IRCC resettles them to Canada. However, if the person does not hold a passport, the officer may issue a Single Journey Travel Document. Consequently, they may travel to Canada with the help of the SJTD.

Ask your immigration questions!

If you have an immigration-related question, fill out the following form. Of course, I’ll do my best to answer general questions under the Q&A category. A general question is like the one I answered here (i.e. What is a Single Journey Travel Document (IMM 5565 – SJTD)?). However, if the question is case-specific, I’ll advise you to book a consultation session.

A relevant article: PRTD (Permanent Resident Travel Document)

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Al Parsai, LL.M, RCIC-IRB

Al Parsai is a distinguished Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (L3 RCIC-IRB – Unrestricted Practice) hailing from vibrant Toronto, Canada. Al's academic achievements include an esteemed role as an adjunct professor at prestigious Queen's University Law School and Ashton College, as well as a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from York University (Osgood Hall Law School). A respected member of CICC, Al's insights are further enriched by his experience as the dynamic CEO of Parsai Immigration Services. Guiding thousands of applicants from over 55 countries through the immigration process since 2011, Al's articles offer a wealth of invaluable knowledge for readers.