criminal record..where cant you go?

[MoDo27]

A buddy of mine just road tripped to NYC. While at the border I guess one of the guys with him got pulled inside for a weed charge. He said he didnt think he had a record, border cop asked if he was hand cuffed..guy says yes, BC says, then you have a record.

They let him through.

I punched out a kid when I was 18, ive been across the border many times. Last time we were hauled in on the US side, and the Canadian side coming back. They didnt say a word to me, it was the guy I was with (Born in the UK and didnt have his passport with him, also a criminal driving charge, ran from cops and hit a telephone pole) He was let in too.

Go for it, get a pass port and go to the airport. Make sure its a refundable ticket though LOL

[ragu]

Everyday is different for the them at the border; what if he is having a bad day, I highly doubt if he'll be that nice to you. I would highly recommend seeing your parole officer or just call a Police Station and ask them...

edit: Though Youth charges are pretty lame and they barely give a shit about it but still.....

[MoDo27]

Originally posted by ragu
Everyday is different for the them at the border; what if he is having a bad day, I highly doubt if he'll be that nice to you. I would highly recommend seeing your parole officer or just call a Police Station and ask them...

edit: Though Youth charges are pretty lame and they barely give a shit about it but still.....

I called the pardon place like 8 years ago and asked how I go about getting a pardon, and how long it takes to process, because I was going to Vegas with friends. He said they take 3 months.

He then said my charge wasn't that bad and "from the pardon guy, to you..you should have no problem"

-I've never had a problem (knock on wood)

[anhsicun]

it doesn't matter if you have a criminal record or not u'll be able to go anywhere u want unless your on probation, or on a court order which says ur not allow to leave alberta / canada. or your black listed from that country for a certain reason.

[pardonwaiverexpert]

Lots of misconception on here. I wanted to share some information from a professional point of view:

Going to the United States with a Criminal Record in Canada is very risky. Many clients will say "I have been across 10 times and I have never had a problem". Unfortunately that person was never eligible to cross to the states in the first place and now that they have been caught they are deemed "an immigration offender".

It is a random check. If you have never been caught crossing they do not know anything about you. If you are stopped and asked to do a secondary inspection then your criminal record will come up in the Canadian Police Information System when they check you out and copied over to the US database. You will most likely be refused entry and turned back to Canada. In over to travel legally you will have to apply for a US waiver (I-192). It's a costly and lengthy process.
A Canadian Pardon will not help you if you have been caught at the border. It is not recognized by the US.

Every case is different, just as is every border guard that you encounter while crossing into the states. So what did or did not happen to one person may not be the same for you.

Consult a professional who handles pardons and waivers to be sure that you have the right information before traveling.

If you are going to another country other then the United States be sure to check on the entry requirements. They may ask the question about a criminal record but because they do not have access to any records they will take your word for it. If a visa is necessary before you travel you may have to provide a background check so verify all your information prior to travel.

[93VR6]

I've been to; Mexico, Cuba, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia with no problems.

Reading some info from this thread and I have a few questions. I have not tried to enter the states since receiving my criminal record, but once I have received a pardon I was under the impression that nothing would come up if I were to attempt to enter the states and was subject to one of those random checks?

[G-ZUS]

^ You know this thread is 5 years old?

[l/l/rX]

Originally posted by pardonwaiverexpert
Lots of misconception on here. I wanted to share some information from a professional point of view:

Going to the United States with a Criminal Record in Canada is very risky. Many clients will say "I have been across 10 times and I have never had a problem". Unfortunately that person was never eligible to cross to the states in the first place and now that they have been caught they are deemed "an immigration offender".

It is a random check. If you have never been caught crossing they do not know anything about you. If you are stopped and asked to do a secondary inspection then your criminal record will come up in the Canadian Police Information System when they check you out and copied over to the US database. You will most likely be refused entry and turned back to Canada. In over to travel legally you will have to apply for a US waiver (I-192). It's a costly and lengthy process.
A Canadian Pardon will not help you if you have been caught at the border. It is not recognized by the US.

Every case is different, just as is every border guard that you encounter while crossing into the states. So what did or did not happen to one person may not be the same for you.

Consult a professional who handles pardons and waivers to be sure that you have the right information before traveling.

If you are going to another country other then the United States be sure to check on the entry requirements. They may ask the question about a criminal record but because they do not have access to any records they will take your word for it. If a visa is necessary before you travel you may have to provide a background check so verify all your information prior to travel.

This information is just relevant to those who have an adult record though correct?

[rage2]

Originally posted by 93VR6
Reading some info from this thread and I have a few questions. I have not tried to enter the states since receiving my criminal record, but once I have received a pardon I was under the impression that nothing would come up if I were to attempt to enter the states and was subject to one of those random checks?

You might make it through a few times, but once you get busted once, you'll be detained and you'll have a file with INS and FBI, which means you won't be able to cross without a waiver. As stated above, pardon's don't mean anything.

The US laws have changed a bit over the last few years, and today it's a lot more strict. Even if you have a conditional discharge on your record, which means no criminal record once conditions are met, that's considered a criminal record to the US. It's a huge PITA for a lot of people, because many cheaper international flights require stopovers in the US.

The waiver process is pretty easy, it just takes ~9 months to get a waiver which is good for 1-5 years. If you ever plan on going to the US, I'd apply for it just for the sake of applying because processing times takes so long.

Here's an updated "TODO" on how to do it.

http://uswaiver.blogspot.ca/2012/07/...plication.html

You can pay services to do it for you too if you don't want to deal with all the details, and it might be a bit faster. There's a company in my building that does this for people. Costs a lot of $ every few years.

I had to learn this stuff last year when a friend of mine was detained at a US stopover from Asia and called me for help.

[CompletelyNumb]

I was told by my lawyer that Between the time of getting the record, and the time of getting my pardon, if I hadn't gone through a US customs, they wouldnt know I had a record when I crossed with a pardon.... is that not true?

I do have a record, and I have yet to be denied access to any country (australia, mexico, cube, most in europe). havent even attempted the US.

[nonofyobiz]

From what I understand the Pardon will seal your records and if you are detained at the US then they won't be able to see it. However, if you go the the US before you get the pardon and are caught, then you will always be in their system and in that case the pardon won't mean shit to them. Like I said, the point of the pardon is to hide your criminal history as far as that goes.

[cancer man]

If you find the right asshole?? record or not they can deny entry.
Then you go on the shit list.