<p>Racialized immigrant older adults (RIOAs) in Canada and other Global North countries face significant health inequities, yet remain underrepresented in health research and lack culturally appropriate health programs. While trust-building is essential for equitable community-engaged research, it requires time-intensive efforts to address cultural nuances, systemic barriers, and historical harms—often conflicting with institutional pressures for efficiency. This commentary explores the tension between trust-building and expediency in research with RIOAs, drawing on nine years of community-engaged research and existing literature. We argue that current research systems must evolve to prioritize trust as a fundamental requirement, not an optional step. Without systemic changes—including flexible timelines, dedicated resources for relationship-building, and institutional recognition of community-engaged work—research risks perpetuating harm to marginalized populations. We propose actionable strategies to balance trust and efficiency, such as leveraging existing community partnerships, co-creating research designs, and fostering reciprocity. Future research could systematically evaluate engagement approaches, quantify the costs of meaningful trust-building, and develop frameworks that center cultural safety and power-sharing. Trust cannot remain an assumed ideal; it must become an operational priority to ensure research benefits the communities it seeks to serve.</p>