Despite COVID not giving up and having entered the third calendar year, Canada’s tourism industry is set to overcome in 2022.
In the last two years, the country has put restrictions on international travellers for travelling/tourism purposes. However, the land of snow had opened its gate for fully-vaccinated travellers.
However, before you travel, make sure to visit official websites, where the authorities keep updating regular information on travel restrictions. Also, bear in mind that the maple country has just sweetness in its name when it comes to criminal records. Officers at Canadian borders may deny you from entering the country on the basis of your criminal history. For US citizens, it is implausible to hide anything as their passports are linked to the FBI, which is useful when it comes to checking the crime reports. Officials at Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) can and have access to FBI records for such interests.
The good part is, the country is willing to accept such individuals if it considers that those can be rehabilitated. That process may reduce the risk when it comes to public safety. For this, the Canadian authorities have provided certain ways using which you can make your way into the country.
Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) is the first option for tackling criminal inadmissibility. However, to get this permit, you need to figure out and present a pressing reason for you to enter the maple country. If your plan is just to visit, then this might not come in handy. However, the government may give you the permit if you have an interest in Business or just visiting on compassionate grounds.
For the touristic purpose, they offer the Criminal Rehabilitation (CR) process. If the individual successfully gets this, the inadmissibility clause will be removed forever unless they commit another crime. To apply for CR, one should have completed at least five years from their last sentence. The local government/authorities will convert your crime in other countries to the Canadian equivalent. The process is necessary to determine the fees for this rehabilitation. For non-serious cases, the fees stand at 200 CAD dollars, which goes to 1,000 for serious ones.
Also, if your conviction for the non-serious case has passed over ten years, you may be considered rehabilitated. It could be an automatic process. However, it is always advised to get guidance from a lawyer. Canadian Immigration lawyers can hook the individual up with a legal opinion letter.
This letter is the third option for individuals with a criminal history. In this letter, the lawyer will give a legal opinion. That includes the reasons why you should be admitted to the country and should not be deemed inadmissible. This option could also complement any of the above two options, which will increase the chances of you getting the entrance.
If you fall into any of the situations (not limited to), a legal opinion letter could be useful:
- Charged but not convicted (got a deferral of adjudication or a Nolle Prosequi)
- Deemed rehabilitated
- Convicted of a crime for which there is no equivalence in Canada.
