A record suspension application is the first step in letting go of your criminal past. First, you should be aware of the current waiting times to apply to remove criminal records from your past; Summary convictions: a criminal act that is considered less serious, punishable by smaller fines and shorter probation and jail sentences. The current waiting time for criminal record clearance is 5 years from the end of your punishment. Indictable convictions: Most serious of criminal offences, which include drug trafficking, armed robbery and sexual assault. The current waiting time for criminal record clearance is 10 years from the end of your punishment. It should be noted that if you are a convicted sex offender, the Criminal Record Act lists sexual offences in Schedule 1. To remove criminal records of sex offenders, your name will still be flagged by the Canadian Police Information Centre, however, your record will be kept ‘separate and apart’. If you were to apply for a job or volunteer working with vulnerable groups such as children, seniors or people with a disability, your record would still be flagged. If you have been convicted of a sexual assault of a minor, you cannot receive a criminal record clearance unless your offence happened before March 2012. If you have had more than three indictable offence convictions for which you received a prison sentence of two years or more for each, you are not eligible for a pardon unless your offence happened before March 2012. To speed up the criminal record suspension application, you must first be in ‘good conduct’ since your last sentence ended, meaning you have not committed a crime since, and that you’ve paid all outstanding government fees, including traffic tickets.