Generally, you are considered to be criminally inadmissible to Canada if you:
- were convicted of an offence in Canada;
- were convicted of an offence outside of Canada that is considered a crime in Canada; or
- committed an act outside of Canada that is considered a crime under the laws of the country where it occurred and would be punishable under Canadian law.
Overcoming Criminal Inadmissibility:
If you were convicted of or committed a criminal offence outside Canada, you may be able to overcome this criminal inadmissibility by applying for criminal rehabilitation.
If you do not yet qualify to apply for rehabilitation, you may still be able to enter Canada after applying for a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP). A TRP is issued to a foreign national for a short time if it is found that the foreign national has compelling reasons to enter Canada.
It is important to use the assistance of a Canadian immigration lawyer when preparing and submitting your criminal rehabilitation or TRP application. The lawyer will assess your circumstances in order to see if you are eligible to apply for criminal rehabilitation.
The lawyer will also help/ advise you to collect the correct documents in order to make a strong case that you should be considered rehabilitated. It is important to understand the laws that you were convicted under and the equivalent Canadian laws and their punishments.
Submitting a complete application package will help prevent any delays in processing and increase the chances of approval of your application.
Contact us for assistance in assessing your eligibility and applying for Criminal Rehabilitation.