We work out whether your record makes you inadmissible, whether time has already solved it, and whether you need rehabilitation, a Temporary Resident Permit or a record suspension.
We'll call you during office hours, 9 am to 5 pm, 7 days a week. If you need to travel in the next few days, call now.
Book a free video meeting now Call (289) 309-3069Your options
Which one fits depends on where you were convicted, what the offence would be in Canada, and how long ago your sentence ended.
Enough time has passed that the law treats you as rehabilitated. There's no application, but you should carry proof when you travel.
An application to IRCC showing you've been rehabilitated. If approved, the offences it covers no longer make you inadmissible. Government fee: $246.25, or $1,231 for serious criminality.
Lets you enter Canada for a specific purpose and period while you are still inadmissible. The officer weighs your reason to travel against any risk. Government fee: $246.25.
For convictions in Canada. Ordered by the Parole Board of Canada. Once granted, IRCC can't base inadmissibility on that conviction. Application fee: $50.
The 5-year and 10-year rules
The clock starts when your whole sentence is complete, including any probation and fines, not the date of the conviction.
Read the full guide: Entering Canada with a DUI: rehabilitation, permits and the 2018 rule.
years after your sentence ends, you can apply for individual rehabilitation
years for deemed rehabilitation of a single offence
Impaired driving and other offences
Impaired driving is a common example. For offences committed on or after 18 December 2018, most impaired driving counts as serious criminality, because the Canadian maximum rose to 10 years. Deemed rehabilitation is then not available.
Ask about your recordConvicted in Canada
Rehabilitation through IRCC only covers offences outside Canada. A conviction in Canada is dealt with through a record suspension.
For convictions in Canada
For permanent residents
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Deemed rehabilitation happens automatically once enough time has passed, usually 10 years after a single less serious offence outside Canada, and needs no application. Individual rehabilitation is an application to IRCC, possible 5 years after your sentence ends, where an officer decides whether you've been rehabilitated.
Not automatically. Impaired driving can make you inadmissible. If the offence was on or after 18 December 2018, it's usually serious criminality, so deemed rehabilitation isn't available. You would need individual rehabilitation once 5 years have passed since your sentence ended, or a Temporary Resident Permit to travel before then.
IRCC's fee is $246.25 for criminality and $1,231 for serious criminality. A Temporary Resident Permit is $246.25. A Canadian record suspension costs $50 to apply to the Parole Board of Canada. Legal fees are separate: a set amount, paid in stages, that we state upfront.
For that conviction, yes. Inadmissibility can't be based on a Canadian conviction with a record suspension that hasn't been revoked or ceased to have effect. You can apply 5 years after your sentence ends for a summary offence, or 10 years for an indictable offence.
Apply for a Temporary Resident Permit. An officer weighs your reason to travel against any risk, so the application should explain clearly why the trip matters and show your conduct since the offence.
Video meetings are free. In-person meetings at First Canadian Place are $100.
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Free video meeting
By video (free) or in person at First Canadian Place ($100), 7 days a week.
