Overseas internationals should know that if they are convicted of criminal charges they will not be able to enter Canada.
CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) has the right to not let you enter Canada if you have a past criminal record. However, you can avoid this by following certain means and regulations in order to enter Canada without any difficulty.
For this, one will have to make all the necessary preparations in advance. The government of Canada thinks that the people who have been convicted with a criminal record possess a risk of being harmful to the state of Canada. Thus, considering this the federal government has launched three ways that can act as major ways to overcome criminal inadmissibility in the Maple country.
What is a TRP (Temporary Resident Permit)?
TRP or Temporary Resident permit is one of the many ways that can allow a person with a criminal past to enter Canada even if it is on a temporary basis. The period of validation can go up to three years. The application for the same shall be submitted under the immigration department of Canada that is IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada). This legal immigration department of Canada will want a document that supports your stay in Canada and your argument of why you should be allowed to enter the Great White North and why it will be justice to permit you to enter Canada and how you will not risk any citizen or PRs in the country. The application fee of a TRP is $200 CAD and only by submitting this application, one may be allowed in Canada.
What is Rehabilitation?
Rehabilitation is different from a TRP (Temporary Resident Permit). It is a way that can allow you to stay in Canada and is a permanent way that could help you to not be convicted in Canada even if it is in the past. If you are rehabilitated once you will never be denied to enter Canada as long as you keep yourself honest by not committing any other offense. The rehabilitation is also divided into two categories.
- Individual rehabilitation: This option is applied only when you check out the following criteria. The candidate must have completed five years after the end of their sentence. The application fee is based on the severity of the crime that was committed. It can often range between $200 to $1,000 CAD. The application must prove that you no longer impose a threat to society and you will no longer be engaged in any sort of criminal act. You can support your application by proving that you have a lifestyle that is stable, have taken steps to improve your behavior and the criminal act of the past was an isolated behavior and shall not be repeated again.
- Another rehabilitation option is the deemed rehabilitation. It is more applicable if the crime is less serious and it has been 10 years since the completion of the sentence of the convicted. The rehabilitation shall be automatic due to the course of time. You can still opt for a safer option and be prepared for a Legal Opinion Letter in order to prove to a CBSA officer of why you should be allowed to enter Canada legally.
What is a Legal Opinion Letter?
After trying rehabilitation and TRP, getting a Legal Opinion Letter is your last option. The letters are prepared and constructed by lawyers and attorneys. It gives clarification to CBSA officials why they should allow you to come into Canada. Your legal advisor can clarify realities, for example, that you are considered restored, or your offense was segregated or not genuine, or there is no Canadian identical to your offense. Such letters can uphold your TRP or restoration application.
Once more, it is critical to stretch that it is to your greatest advantage to plan well ahead of your excursion to Canada by getting proficient exhortation so you can enter the country without significant challenges.
