Can a convicted felon leave on vacation out of the US with a valid passport ?

Question

My husband was convicted of a felony when in college 8 years ago. He did his time and completed his probation. We recently tried to go to Canada and was denied. He was very sad! So, will he ever be able to vacation outside of the US? He is a great husband with a great job and would like to travel with the family. Can someone shine some light of this situation or point me in the right direction???

Answer 1

Yes, but he'll need a visa as he's not allowed to travel on the Visa Waiver Program.  However, getting a visa might not be easy.  Martha Stewart was recently denied a visa to the UK for her conviction and she's a billionaire.

Answer 2

This has nothing to do with the US but with the receiving country.  Some countries don't ask, and some ask very detailed questions, mostly because we ask the same from their citizens.  Sort of a t*t for tat. If he has a valid passport there are plenty of countries where all you do it show the passport and that is all they want.

Many countries will not let a person in to become a RESIDENT with a criminal record. Maybe they are worried that he will stay.

Also many countries cannot run the names of the visa applicants. I am sure Canada can run names from the US but Russia and other places are limited to Google and Lexis-Nexis.

Lastly you may wish to check with the courts to see if the felony can be reduced to a misdemeanor and be subsequently dismissed. Many states allow such applications once you are off parole or probation. Some crimes can never go away however, and they will always exist as far as law enforcement goes. But having a conviction expunged will assist to show that he is a great guy.  Try google. Type in your state name and "felony expungement" and see what comes up.  Good luck.

Answer 3

This is one of the things wrong with our current criminal system.  Once the punishment is completed, that should be the end of it!