Effects of Criminal Charges and Criminal Record

Criminal convictions for certain offences will affect your ability to travel to the US. The offences which will result in your exclusion from the US are commonly known as crimes of moral turpitude, and include murder, manslaughter, sexual assault, theft, bribery, forgery, aggravated assault, prostitution and fraud. An allegation of, or conviction for, possession of or trafficking in a controlled substance, involvement with terrorism, ...

As a general rule, if you plead guilty to an offence under the Criminal Code, you will receive a criminal record. The exception to the rule is if you are granted a “discharge” at sentencing. These are granted where it can be demonstrated that it is not contrary to the public interest for you to not receive a criminal record for the conviction. Oftentimes, ...

Yes, it is possible to have your fingerprints and police photo removed from the police central database. This does not mean that all record of you having been charged is destroyed. Rather, only the actual photograph and fingerprints are destroyed. The reason this is important is that it eliminates false positive matches. That is, police will no longer be able to use your photo in ...

You cannot get rid of a criminal record, but you can apply to have your criminal record set aside through a record suspension. You are eligible to apply for a record suspension after a waiting period of 5 years following a summary offence, or 10 years following an indictable offence. You cannot apply for a record suspension if you have been convicted of a ...

Having a criminal record can negatively affect your chances of obtaining Canadian citizenship. However, criminal charges and criminal records may not necessarily impede your ability to obtain citizenship. For convictions and offences outside of Canada, you may be able to overcome criminal inadmissibility by either applying for rehabilitation or by being deemed rehabilitated if a minimum of 10 years have passed since you ...

If you are a Canadian citizen you cannot be deported if you have criminal charges or get a criminal record. If you are a foreign national or a permanent resident, criminal charges or a criminal record may result in your deportation. If you are a foreign national or permanent resident and are charged with an offence, the police will submit a report to the ...

If you have outstanding criminal charges your ability to travel to the US may be affected. Having pending criminal charges for which you have not been convicted does not automatically prevent your entry into the US. Admission to the US is discretionary, which means that the immigration official with whom you interact when attempting to enter the US can decide whether or not to ...

A criminal record will affect your life in numerous ways. Certain employment and volunteering opportunities are not available to people who have a criminal record. This is particularly true of any jobs working in a position of trust, in healthcare, or with vulnerable individuals or children. A criminal record may also impede your ability to travel, as certain offences will bar entry to certain ...