Your criminal record will be kept separate and apart from other records in the CPIC database, effectively removing your record and helping you gain employment, education, volunteering and other opportunities.
While your record will be set aside, it doesn’t erase the fact you were convicted, and US Customs and Border Protection does not recognize a Canadian pardon. Depending on the nature of your criminal record, you may need to apply for a US entry waiver.
You can apply for a file destruction to have the fingerprints and photographs that were taken as part of your arrest removed from the police database if your charges did not result in a conviction.
The PBC application fee is $50. You are also responsible for fingerprinting, court and local police fees (approximately $150).
Our fee will depend on:
the number of court locations you have been convicted in
amount of cities you have resided in during the past 5 years
Determining eligibility depends on:
when the most recent offence was committed
date when the sentence was fully completed
nature of the offence(s)
Driving and weapon prohibitions are not considered part of your sentence when determining eligibility.
Once received by the Parole Board of Canada (PBC), summary offences will be processed within 6 months while indictable offences take 12 months.
The Parole Board of Canada is the only official agency that is involved in the processing of pardon and record suspension applications for convictions in Canada.
Yes, if you’re:
convicted of a new offence
no longer maintaining a crime free lifestyle
found to have withheld information when you applied
If a pardon is revoked the offence(s) will be added back into the CPIC database.
On March 29, 2012, the government made amendments to the CRA. Changes included a symbolic renaming from pardons to record suspensions, as well as increasing the time before an applicant is eligible to apply. Certain sexual offences and individuals convicted of more than three indictable offences and who received a prison sentence of two or more years were also deemed ineligible.
Documentation can include:
RCMP criminal record
Court information
Local police records check
Military conduct sheet
Measurable benefit form
Record suspension application form
Applying on your own can be a difficult process due to the amount of paperwork involved. Nearly one-quarter of all applications are returned.
We prepare your documents, make sure every detail is in order and submit your application properly and much faster than you would be able to do on your own. Our fee is affordable, and we provide quick and efficient results.
A criminal record can stop you
from entering the United States,
including airport stopovers and
passage through US waters.
A document granted by USCBP that allows entry to a non-immigrant under section 212(d)(3)(A)(ii) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is referred to as a US entry waiver. Anyone convicted of a drug offence, a crime involving moral turpitude or has multiple convictions for which the combined sentences to confinement exceeded five years, can apply for an entry waiver.
e-SAFE, which stands for Electronic Secured Adjudication Forms Environment, is the online system where US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accepts the filing of I-192 and I-212 applications.
Moral turpitude is a complex legal concept that has no precise definition.
The INA declares who is inadmissible to enter the United States, but does not specify the lengthy list of offences that involve moral turpitude.
Common crimes that can make you inadmissible for entry to the USA include:
Controlled substance violations
False Pretenses
Fraud
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
Theft
You will receive your US entry waiver within several weeks of applying and, most likely, will be approved for the maximum five-year term.
Your application is evaluated on:
your risk level
severity of your crime(s)
reason for entry
Unlike a pardon application, there is no waiting period before you are eligible to apply, but enough time must pass to allow for reformation and rehabilitation. The severity of your past offence(s) will be a determining factor.
Yes. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) does not recognize a Canadian pardon. If you try to enter the US after you have been told you are inadmissible, you risk being banned or deported.
After we file your application, you will be required to visit a designated port of entry to get fingerprinted and photographed.
Permanent waivers can refer to the validity period for which US entry waivers are approved for by the Admissibility Review Office. If the ARO determines that the nature of your criminal past does not require a US entry waiver, you will be notified of such with what is referred to as a September letter.
The process for renewing a waiver is exactly the same as applying for a new one. It’s just quicker because we can keep your documentation on file.
We begin the process of applying for a renewal waiver a few months before your current one expires.
Our clients can expect to pay an average fee of $750 for us to prepare, file and monitor the status of their application.
Additional disbursements include:
USCBP filing fee: US$585
RCMP fingerprinting: approximately $75
Identification documents
collected during an arrest can
be destroyed if the charge(s)
didn't result in a conviction.
If you’ve ever been arrested and charged with a crime the police have your information on file - even if the charges were stayed, withdrawn, dismissed or discharged. The same is true if you entered into a peace bond or diversion program.
You now have a non-conviction criminal record that you’ll need to destroy.
We contact the arresting police service and submit a file destruction request on your behalf. After the arresting police approve the request, they contact the RCMP Identification Services and request the destruction of the non-conviction information.
All identification documents, including those, submitted to the RCMP National Repository of Criminal Records are destroyed.
Your criminal record history that was entered into the CPIC database held at the RCMP Repository is deleted and, most importantly, your FPS number is canceled.
FPS stands for Fingerprint Section number and is a unique number assigned to an individual that has been fingerprinted. FPS numbers are shared with the United States and are accessible by US Customs and Border Protection. As part of our file destruction request we ensure the arresting police service cancels your FPS number.
Yes, general time frames include:
stay of proceedings: 1 year
peace bond: after the expiration
withdrawn, dismissed, acquitted: 1-6 months
Each police service sets its own guidelines about when you can apply. We will provide specific details surrounding your file destruction timeline and eligibility.
Yes, absolute and conditional charges are automatically removed one and three years, respectively, after being sentenced. However, the local police have your fingerprints and photos on file, which you can request be destroyed.
No, RCMP fingerprints are not required. If you’re told fingerprints are required as part of the process contact us, and we’ll submit your request immediately.
The average cost of having your criminal file destroyed is $240, depending upon:
the disposition of the charge(s)
having non-conviction records with multiple police services
whether the files still exist
the police charging a service fee
Applying on your own can be difficult. We will prepare your documentation properly and quickly.
The result? You save yourself stress and aggravation and are approved sooner.
Criminal records are not removed automatically; you must apply under the Criminal Records Act of Canada for a pardon. A pardon allows people who were convicted, but have rehabilitated themselves since their conviction(s), to have their record kept ‘separate and apart’ from other criminal records.
Want to remove the stigma associated with a criminal record? We have the experience to complete your application quickly.
Due to legislative changes and court rulings, determining eligibility can be confusing.
Eligibility ranges from 3, 5 to 10 years after the completion of your sentence and depends on when the offence was committed and the method of trial.
Completion of your sentence includes payment of fines, surcharges and restitution orders, and satisfaction of parole and/or probation.
A court order that prohibits you from driving or owning a firearm is not considered as part of a sentence.
Contact us for a free consultation.
You can apply for a pardon on your own. The reality, however, is that you'll likely get your pardon faster if you hire a professional.
Because the PBC has a lengthy list of required documentation that can take a significant amount of time to acquire.
Documentation can include:
Nearly one-quarter of all applications are returned incomplete.
We prepare your documents, make sure every detail is in order and submit your application properly and faster than you would be able to do on your own.
If you would like to start your application or have any questions, please call: