When you travel across the border into Canada, border services officers may be asked if you have any criminal record.
When border services officers of Canada will ask about your criminal record history at the time you land in Canada you will have to tell the truth. It is considered a serious crime if you give any false statement to a border service officer and also you are not allowed to visit Canada.
However, if you have any criminal record in your history then you will become criminally inadmissible to Canada. But there are some ways to overcome inadmissibility in Canada.
Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)
TRP (Temporary Resident Permit) is a document that is issued by citizens and immigrants of Canada. It’s an option for an inadmissibility person to visit Canada.
At the time of application submission, you have to explain the valid reason for visiting Canada.
The valid reason may include the points below:
- Travel for business purposes.
- To visit to attend a wedding or unwell family member.
Canadian service officers will review your TRP application and then consider the benefit of your entrance and the health risk to Canadian society. Border service officers will also check the number of crimes you have committed and the nature of your crime.
If you are a citizen of the US or a permanent resident holder then you can submit your application at the port of entry of Canada.
Criminal Rehabilitation-(CR)
You may qualify to apply for criminal rehabilitation if you want to visit Canada and if your sentence has been completed for at least five years of your convicted crime.
If your application is successful then your criminal history will no longer be grounds for disallowance in Canada until you have committed another crime.
The fee to apply for this option is different according to the crime convicted by you. The Government of Canada translates your foreign crime into the Canadian equivalent to determine whether you need to charge an application fee for a non-serious crime ($200 CAD) or serious criminality ($1,000 CAD).
If your sentence has passed 10 years then you may be considered rehabilitated which shows your crime was non-serious. You will take advantage of this option if you have only one non-serious crime on your record history. You have to apply for the CR if you committed more than one crime in your history.
Legal Opinion Letter (LOL)
A Canadian immigration attorney’s legal opinion letter is drafted by the immigration lawyer of Canada. It expresses in the letter why candidates should be allowed into Canada.
It is important to make adequate preparations before your trip to Canada so that you do not return to the border because of your previous conviction. The advice of an immigration lawyer in Canada will help you to overcome inadmissibility in Canada, and after that, you will be able to visit Canada.
