We receive hundreds of calls each week from Canadians who have been denied entry to the US because of old criminal charges.
If you get a strict US Customs agent, they can turn you away even for small charges like shoplifting. This particular woman who called us today was on her way to Arizona for one month. She was turned away at the airport because the American border guard discovered a shoplifting charge from 1985.
Now this woman has lost her vacation to Arizona and requires a US Entry Waiver or I-194 to return to the US. We are helping her to obtain this application and get it approved by DHS (Department of Homeland Security). The US Entry Waiver application process is lengthy and complicated. In the meantime, this woman cannot go to the US until its approved.
Had she obtained a Pardon for the shoplifting charge, its possible she would have never been in this mess as the Americans may have never seen her criminal record. A Canada Pardon effectively removes your criminal record from the RCMP database which is the database that the Americans view when doing criminal checks.
If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons and US Entry Waivers email us at info@pardons.org or call 1-877-929-6011.
