Demystifying Eligibility Criteria for Record Suspension
When considering the cost for a pardon or record suspension one must take into account all of the costs associated with getting a criminal record in the first place as they can be high and un-manageable.
Any time you are charged by the police and fingerprinted then you must appear in court to defend your case. The cost to hire a lawyer will usually depend on the number of charges and their severity but most lawyers won’t even start a file for less than $2000. Legal fees to defend oneself in court can be as high as $100,000.
If you are found guilty or convicted of the crime then you must serve your punishment and pay whatever fines or restitutions are outstanding. Fines for DUI or Impaired Driving are usually about $2000 and more. You may also be ordered to pay back restitution owing for a fraud offence which can also be in the thousands.
There will also be costs associated to the fact that you have a criminal record including job loss. Also for a DUI as an example you will need to pay thousands of dollars in insurance and courses like back on track.
Finally, when you have been out of trouble with the police for a certain period of time you can apply for a pardon or record suspension and leave it all behind. The costs associated with a pardon are minimal compared to what you would have paid in the past regarding being charged by the police.
You will first need to pay about $100 for fingerprinting which generates and RCMP file needed as part of the application.
You will need to obtain court records which costs vary depending on the province but can be as high as $100 a court record in Saskatchewan.
At the end of the pardon or record suspension application you will need to do a final local police check which can cost up to $100.
Finally, you will need to pay $50 to the Receiver General to approve your pardon application.
You may also choose to pay an agency like Pardons Canada to do the whole application on your behalf for a fee of about $1000. This fee covers the court costs and the expertise of putting the application together to ensure it will be approved.
Thankfully, once the pardon is granted then nothing will show up on a criminal check and you can proceed with your life without the worry of the criminal record getting in the way of work, travel, volunteering and coaching.
Pardons Canada undertakes all necessary steps and procedures for removing your criminal record, including: Pardons/Record Suspensions, Purges, Photograph & Fingerprint Destruction, and U.S. Entry Waivers.
