Drunk Driving record & visa for Canada

Hi Sa24 - 

It depends on what country you are coming from as some nationalities don't need a vias to enter Canada. That being said, if you have been convicted of a minor offence, including DUI, you are prohibited from entry into Canada. Canada has information sharing agreements with several countries and border control officers may have access to criminal records, and thus deny you entry.

However, there are ways to overcome a past conviction. You can apply for a legal decision on inadmissibility - be deemed rehabilitated or granted an application for rehabilitation (you may be deemed rehabilitated if at least 10 years have passed since you completed the sentence imposed for your crime). For each offence, when applying for a visa, you must provide specific documentation and information concerning the details of these convictions. Factors that will be taken into consideration in this include the number and circumstances of the offenses, your behavior since the offense, and your current situation.

This process may take some time so you should plan in advance. It's best to be prepared, and upfront and honest about your situation rather than arriving at the border and then being turned away for not disclosing this info. For more general info on entering Canada, check out our Visas for Canada page.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Catherine

Thanks Catherine!! Wil give it a tryand let y know how it goes!!

how did it go?

I read this at: http://www.justlanded.com/english/Canada/Articles/Visas-Permits/Drunk-driving-ban-under-review. "Overcoming criminal inadmissibility to Canada can be done in a few ways. In the case of “minor” crimes, a person can be deemed to be rehabilitated, without having to make any sort of application, if he has not re-offended for at least ten years since the completion of the sentence for the conviction in question. If the person has been convicted of a “serious” crime, then they may apply to the minister of immigration, five years after the completion of the sentence for the offence in question, for a declaration that they have been rehabilitated. If five years have not passed since the completion of the sentence, they will have to apply for a Temporary Resident Permit." I do not know it is accurate or not. If it is, it means we can get Temporary Resident Permit. I am confusing about this.