Pardons Canada: Can I Travel to the US with an Assault Conviction?
Assault is among the most common criminal charges in Canada. It just takes one heated moment between two people and the police are called to make an arrest.
Even if the charges are later stayed, dismissed, withdrawn or conditional or absolute discharged, there is still a record of your arrest and in many cases it can be seen by the public, including employers and US border agents.
Each day, we receive emails and phone calls from people who are seeking to obtain a Pardon for past criminal activity, and it is common to hear about situations involving assault.
A Canada Pardon will be granted to a person with a domestic assault charge (considered a summary offence) three years after the punishment. A more serious assault charge like assault causing bodily harm or assault with a weapon the eligibility date for receiving a Canada Pardon is five years from the end of the punishment.
Here is a typical question we received regarding an assault charge:
“When I was 16 I was arrested for assault, assault with a weapon (window squeegee) and possesion of a prohibited weapon (spiked wristband).”
“This was by the police of 52 division Toronto. I was a runaway at the time, and being afraid of going back home, I gave an alias and told them I was 18.”
“I was sent to a womens prison for a month until a friend managed to bail me out. I went to court a couple of times, then gave up and left Toronto when winter started to set in. Eventually I managed to get a job and get myself off the streets. I saved up and put myself through flight school. I have been a pilot since 2002.”
“Last year I hired a lawyer and had the charges dismissed. I went traveling and have been offered a very good job in Australia. I need a clean record not only for my permanent residence visa in Australia, but also for an aviation security clearance for work. ”
“This will show up on my adult file even though I was a minor at the time. I need to ge t to Australia as soon as possible for work, I don’t want this opportunity to pass me by. Can you help me? ”
If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons and US Entry Waivers email us at [email protected] or call 1-877-929-6011.
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.
