Once you have been convicted of a crime, you may not be allowed to enter Canada, unless you are deemed to be rehabilitated or you have applied for rehabilitation. Rehabilitation in general sense means that you are not likely to commit new crimes. The conviction could be for both minor and serious offences.
Deemed rehabilitation means that enough time has passed since you were convicted of the crime. This means that the crime may no longer stop you from entering Canada. You are deemed to be rehabilitated depending on various factors such as, the type of crime, the time passed since you finished serving the sentence and if you have committed more than one crime. According to the Canadian Immigration law, you are only deemed rehabilitated
-If the crime was committed outside of Canada and
- If the crime would be punishable in Canada by a prison term of less than 10 years.
Another option is Individual rehabilitation, which is granted by either the Minister or their delegate. To get individual rehabilitation, at least five years must have been passed since the end of your criminal sentence and the day you committed the criminal act. You would have to apply to a Canadian visa office in your home country or region. The visa officer will evaluate your lifestyle, employment, home, and your behavior since the crime was committed. The officer will determine accordingly if you would be allowed entry into Canada . Similar evaluation will be conducted at the port of entry for U.S. citizens. It is up to you to provide proper documents and evidence to strengthen your claim, as the visa officers will only be evaluating you based on your submissions.
I hope this helped, if you have any further questions about the documents you require, and how about how to present your claim, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our team of experienced professionals will be happy to answer any of you questions.