You can usually apply for Canadian rehabilitation five years after a sentence ends. People who have been convicted of a crime outside of Canada are usually inadmissible to enter Canada. But, the Canadian government has procedures in place for those individuals to regain admissibility and enter the country. Specifically, non-Canadians can apply for criminal rehabilitation, also known as Canadian rehabilitation.
Criminal rehabilitation may happen one of two ways. You may be deemed rehabilitated if it has been more than a decade since you finished serving your sentence. However, in order to expedite the process and overcome your inadmissibility sooner, you can apply for rehabilitation after only five years.
Five years must have passed from when you committed the crime and from when you finished serving your sentence, including your time on probation. If it has been less than five years for either, you may be able to come to Canada on the basis of a Temporary Resident Permit.
If you are not a Canadian citizen but your criminal conviction happened inside the country, you are not eligible for criminal rehabilitation. You must request a Record Suspension, also known as a pardon, from the Parole Board of Canada.
There are specific guidelines that must be followed during the process of applying for criminal rehabilitation in Canada. If you want to immigrate to the country or come for business or vacation purposes, it may be a worthwhile option. Learn more about removing barriers of entry into Canada now and in the future.