My friend is a convicted felon and I want him to join me on a trip to Canada; Will he be denied entry?

Question

He was convicted over 10 years ago, and has not gotten into any serious problems since then. He is a dual citizen of the U.S. and another country. Will he have any problems entering the country with a U.S. passport? If he used his other passport? Will they be able to pull up his record? The trip is only for four days. He was convicted because he was with the wrong person at the wrong time and law authorities assumed he was an accomplice. He is not a menace to society and is a good-natured, humble person. Any feedback you can give me would be truly appreciated.

Answer 1

Canada (being part of the United States of North America) shares information with the USA and vice versa.  So they will probably know.

Answer 2

yes unless he has been formerly rehabilitated by canadian law and he would have to jump through hoops. heck they do not even let in dui offenders but the us does.

Answer 3

for 4 days ?

i do not ever tell people to do things illegally and about his passport ? please do not try this , in order to avoid his records being checked :-) his records are in a computer .....

so i will tell you what the country of Canada says :

To begin, in Canada a DWI is a felony and therefore an excludable offense under the Immigration Act. A DWI is an indictable offense in Canada that may be punished by imprisonment for up to a five year term. Anyone with a conviction in the U.S. that is treated as a felony or indictable offense in Canada is excludable from Canada, but even if the offense is not a felony or indictable offense in Canada, Customs and Immigration Officers have ultimate authority to permit and deny entry to their country.

Almost all convictions (including DUI, DWI, reckless driving, negligent driving, misdemeanor drug possession, all felonies, domestic violence (assault V), shoplifting, theft, etc) can make a person inadmissible to Canada, regardless of when they occurred. For this reason, it is not recommended that persons with past convictions attempt to enter Canada without first obtaining necessary documents. It is always the final decision of officers at ports of entry to decide whether a person should be allowed into Canada.

The reason for this exclusion is contained in Canadian law. The Canadian Immigration Act, in § 19; states:

(2) No immigrant and, except as provided in subsection (3), no visitor shall be granted admission if the immigrant or visitor is a member of any of the following classes:

(a) persons who have been convicted in Canada of an indictable offense, or of an offense for which the offender may be prosecuted by indictment or for which the offender is punishable on summary conviction, that may be punishable under any Act of Parliament by a maximum term of imprisonment of less than ten years, other than an offense designated as a contravention under the Contraventions Act;

(a.1) persons who there are reasonable grounds to believe

(i) have been convicted outside Canada of an offense that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offense that may be punishable by way of indictment under any Act of Parliament by a maximum term of imprisonment of less than ten years, or

(ii) have committed outside Canada an act or omission that constitutes an offense under the laws of the place where the act or omission occurred and that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offense that may be punishable by way of indictment under any Act of Parliament by a maximum term of imprisonment of less than ten years, except persons who have satisfied the Minister that they have rehabilitated themselves and that at least five years have elapsed since the expiration of any sentence imposed for the offense or since the commission of the act or omission, as the case may be;

i hope this helps ?

here is the search link :

http://www.ramsaydevore.com/canada.html....

:-)

Answer 4

You can TRY and take your friend with you to Canada, but you've got to be smart, because Canadian Immigration can be really anal about stuff like that.

But your buddy has to be smart and know when to keep his mouth shut!!!

Tell him to avoid volunteering any information to the Canadian border guards - if they run a check on him and find out he's got a record, of course he's got to be honest.

But if they just look at his passport and have him sign some form, don't be stupid - don't volunteer any information that they don't have. If they don't know, he shouldn't tell them!!!

Answer 5

Just like if (I) crossed into the U.S. it depends upon just what he was convicted for.

Americans Customs usually do not let Canadians pass if they have a criminal record of either 'drug possession' or for 'Violence'.

Answer 6

Yes, if stopped at the border and questioned he will be not allowed in. I am not sure if there is a way around it. You can always take a chance that they will just pass you and let you go. But that is really not a good idea, because if any trouble happens in Canada while you are there it could effect the group of you.

Answer 7

yes..if convicted...