We receive a lot of calls from people who have been denied a NEXUS card because they have been fingerprinted in the past for a criminal charge.
If your charge was dismissed, withdrawn, stayed, conditional or absolute discharged, the Americans WILL still see that you have been fingerprinted and in most cases will deny your Nexus application.
It is very important that you complete a file destruction of your criminal charge before applying for NEXUS so that you will not have an issue of it being denied.
If you have been convicted of a criminal charge, you will need a Canada Pardon to remove the conviction. Once the charge is removed, as long as you have not already been flagged by the Americans, you should be safe to apply for NEXUS. However, you must be aware that the Americans do not recognize Canada Pardons so there is no reason to bring it to their attention.
Here is an email we received today from a person who was denied a NEXUS application:
“I had applied for a nexus card at the border to i can travel across the bridge with ease of access and i was denied but i had received an impaired in july of 2008 i was wondering if the pardon will help?”
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.
