What Common Offences Can Break your Canadian Immigration Dreams?

Post by : Admin on Jun 21,2022

Canada is one of the most sought-after destinations for tourists, immigrants, students and foreign workers. The wide slew of Canadian immigration laws makes it 10X easier for individuals to fulfill their Canadian dreams. But, things cannot be as simple as it sounds.

So, what’s the catch?

Well, a criminal record may restrict you from entering Canada. Even common convictions or minor charges from years ago can make you inadmissible to Canada.

Common Convictions that Make you Inadmissible to Canada

The common offences include:

  • Drug offences
  • Driving offences that involved drugs or alcohol
  • Assault
  • Reckless driving
  • Frauds like using bad credit cards or bad cheques

In Canada, different crimes have different levels of severity. For instance, they consider crimes with a maximum prison sentence of fewer than 10 years non-serious. The crimes, however, would fall under serious criminality if the maximum prison of an offence is 10 years or more.

How to Overcome Inadmissibility to Canada Due to Criminal Offences?

Don’t panic if you have a criminal history. There are ways to overcome inadmissibility to Canada due to criminal history. Here’s how:

Temporary Resident Permits

A TRP is a temporary option for anyone planning to enter Canada. Follow the steps below:

Explain why you want to come to Canada to the border officials.

  • The authority will then consider if your visit to Canada is safe for Canadian society or not.
  • They consider the number of offences you committed, the duration of time since the offence and more aspects related to criminal history.

Criminal Rehabilitation

The option mentioned above is temporary. This one is a permanent solution. You are eligible for this option if it has been five years since you have completed your sentence.

The fees differ depending on the nature of the crime. The Canadian Government translates the foreign crime to the Canadian equivalent to figure out the charge.

If your crime was non-serious, you might be rendered rehabilitated after 10 years of completing the sentence. This is beneficial if you have only one non-serious conviction on your record. In the case of multiple convictions, apply for criminal rehabilitation. A legal opinion letter comes in handy when meeting border officials.

Legal opinion letter

You can combine this letter with any of the options mentioned above. It helps Canadian border officials determine why you should be allowed to enter Canada. This is especially helpful if you have a pending charge without conviction.

It is always suggested to make the right preparations beforehand to avoid complications at the border. Connect with the team at Onkar Immigration if you want help immigrating to Canada with a criminal history. We will guide you thoroughly.


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