Many people who make the decision to immigrate to Canada, don’t end up giving the right amount of thought to the subject of admissibility, only to find out later they should have. It stands to reason that serious crimes would make someone inadmissible to Canada, but the crimes don’t always have to be serious, and sometimes you can be qualified to enter by every other means and then get held back because you are criminally inadmissible.
Common Convictions
Any convictions for violent crimes will likely render a person inadmissible, but several non-violent infractions are also on the list. If you have an impaired driving charge, where your blood alcohol level was higher than 0.08, that’s enough to keep you out. Any drug convictions will disqualify you from immigrating, as will convictions for things like reckless driving, street racing, resisting arrest, shoplifting, common assault, causing criminal damage to property or fraud.
Naturally, these rules are meant to keep criminals out of the country, but that’s not always how it works out. Sometimes, a person may have run into legal trouble in their own country years before, but have changed their life around. Even though they are different and ready to be a productive member of society, the past has a way of following you around.
Other Options
For situations where you know a past offence will keep you out of the country, or feel that it might, legal representation can help make the situation work for you. If it has been more than five years since any infractions or convictions, an application for rehabilitation may be submitted to Citizenship and Immigration Canada to potentially reverse the decision.
If less than five years has gone by, proper legal representation can help you apply to CIC for what is called a temporary resident permit. Whatever the situation, if you really have turned things around and intend to come to Canada to help the economy and add to society, there are always possibilities.
Check Before Traveling
The best thing to do is check on the situation before you decide to travel to Canada. This includes full-on immigration and temporary trips. It is to be expected that a country such as Canada requires documentation and explanations as to why criminal inadmissibility is not warranted in certain situations. That’s just one of the things that makes Canada a desirable place to live for people from all around the world.
