Demystifying Eligibility Criteria for Record Suspension
We help many Canadians each month to remove criminal records, and DUI (Impaired Driving, and “Over 80”) are among the most common criminal convictions.
So many people are NOT aware of the negative impact a criminal record can have on your life, especially when it comes to employment and travel. Not to mention, the emotional toll it can take knowing you have the label as a “criminal”.
The good news is that you can get a Pardon or Record Suspension to get the criminal record removed as long as you have stayed out of trouble and satisfied your punishment (paid your fine, for example).
Here is a recent thank you letter from a person we helped to remove a DUI, Impaired Driving:
“Feedback on getting a Pardon through Pardons Canada for a single offence of DUI in Ontario 6 years ago on Christmas Eve:”
“I was leery about traveling to the United States because I heard that the immigration officials denied entry to anyone with a criminal record and that procedures with the US INS agency to get permission were very lengthy and were only good for a single entry. Although my lawyer told me that the US did not particularly pay too much attention to having a record for DUI, as long as if they noticed that I had a record I would not deny or lie about it and say that it was for DUI. I was really worried nevertheless about having to go to the US for a contract job, given that I work as a consulting engineer on contract basis. I gave it the smoke test last year and drove to the US for pleasure just to see what would happen so I could have some confidence on this issue, with Pardon in process papers with me and went well, no questions asked. Now, Pardon in hand that is no longer an issue.”
“In Canada although I believe that I did not lose any contracts for having a record it has come up at least once during background checks for insurance purposes when using company vehicles. I circumvented the issue by proposing to rent my own truck and insure it myself. I did not get the contract but to my knowledge it was never awarded. Another time I negotiated a major and lucrative contract with a major Canadian cellular operator, got the text of the contract delivered to me by e‐mail and was supposed to show up the following week, sign the contract and start work. The operator phoned me the next day and told me that the contract was on hold for a week, then a month and then that it was cancelled due to project schedule and budget changes. Although I confirmed with inside sources close to me that this is true the doubt remains if this operator had a policy of doing background checks and denying work to anyone with a record, regardless for what reason. Now, Pardon in hand that is no longer an issue for future work.”
“So in conclusion thank you Pardons Canada, work well done.”
If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons, Record Suspensions and US Entry Waivers email us at [email protected] or call 1-877-929-6011 or 416-929-6011.
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.
