Imagine yourself traveling across the border and all of a sudden the entry got restricted for a felony you committed 20 years earlier. Yes, you read that right, you can very well be stopped from entering Canadian boundaries if you have a criminal record no matter how much time you spent after that. Canadian Government became strict in these cases and said No Entry in Canada if you have committed Felony.
No Entry in Canada if you have committed Felony- Even if not proven Guilty
Canadian immigration is very strict in the case of foreigners with a felony even if they are just convicted in the court and not yet proven guilty. People at the borders have all the records of visa database of the immigrants, and it is virtually impossible to trick them into allowing a person with the distant history of a felony.
Two ways through which the person get entry into the Country-
So does it mean a person who has committed a felony can never enter Canadian boundaries? No, there are two valid ways to get admission into the country
- Temporary Resident Permit(TRP),
- Criminal Rehabilitation (CR).
TRP- for that you need to have an immigration lawyer at standby preferably at almost all the time and a particular application to consider by the Immigration authorities, but this only allows you to be in the country on a temporary basis for a limited time, which is generally three years and may not renew.
However for a permanent solution to the inadmissibility problems, one has to go for CR which is Criminal Rehabilitation under the supervision of Canadian Immigration Authorities, and once you complete the CR, you will no longer get flagged by immigration Authorities for past felony issues. The only thing worth considering is that you can attain CR only after you have served the sentenced term for your felony.
Conclusion-
So next time you plan for Canada with a misdemeanor history or a felony, make sure you have a valid reason to visit Canada such that Canadian immigration approves your application for TRP. Being made to return home from the borders of a country for a crime you have already served for is never a good feeling to experience.