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Hi. My name is Michael Niren. I'm an immigration lawyer and founder of
VisaPlace.com. Today we have a question: Can I immigrate to Canada if I
have a criminal record? Well, the answer is it depends. It depends
on the seriousness of the offense and the circumstances. In many cases,
if you have a criminal record, a DUI, an assault charge, for example,
you may be able to still immigrate to Canada, but you're going to have
to apply for what is called the TRP, or a Temporary Resident Permit, which
is a special permit which will enable you to come to Canada, despite
the fact that you're inadmissible on criminal grounds.
Now, it all depends on the nature of the offense and how long ago it was,
and how many... There's a lot of things you have to take into account to
evaluate whether or not there's going to be a problem. So, if you intend to
immigrate to Canada, and you have a criminal offense, it's very important
to retain the services of an immigration lawyer, especially in a case like
this, to investigate your situation and give you proper advice.
The application can take longer than normal, given the complexity of the
situation. The general answer to the question is, in most cases, there is
an option of coming to Canada if you have an offense. Some cases are very,
very serious, where the application will likely be refused. If the
application is refused, there's also the option of appealing the refusal,
which is another process, and it's quite involved as well.
So hopefully, this gives you some idea of what's involved. Thank you, and
have a great day.