Record Suspension Services in St. John’s

Record Suspension Services in St. John’s

St. John’s is one of the oldest and most historic cities in North America, and people lucky enough to live in here enjoy a lot of opportunities. This is a place for history, culture, tourism, and for residents to enjoy life as well as a vibrant career. But those chances at the good life can sometimes depend on certain elements of your past. And when your past is becoming an obstacle to your future, a special process known as a record suspension can clear the way.

Criminal Convictions Don’t Stay In The Past

Canadians that are convicted of a crime in a court of law must pay the penalty for what they’ve done. This usually comes in the form of probation, jail sentence or fine that is paid to the court. Once the fines are paid, and the jail sentence or probation is served, the immediate debt to society is considered repaid.

This does not mean that everything is considered settled. In addition to the time served and fines paid, there is a new addition to your permanent criminal record. Within the Canadian Police Information Centre database or CPIC, a criminal record has now been entered. This is a complete listing of the arrest, the fingerprinting, the charges made, and the final court verdict as well as punishment served.

Job Limitations

Once a criminal conviction has been entered into a permanent record, it is publicly accessible information. It is not free information, as a Canadian citizen must be willing to pay the fees required, but, once paid, a record of criminal convictions is legally available to anyone that makes the request. For employers, this may be part of a standard background check.

Once that background check has been run, an employer is perfectly within his or her legal boundaries to decide whom to hire based on the presence or absence of a conviction. For certain industries, such as teaching or nursing, the presence of a criminal conviction means it is illegal for a candidate to be hired.

Travel Restrictions

Most Canadians only need a passport to travel into the United States, and, once that passport has been scanned, they are clear to enter. But the American Customs & Border Patrol, or CBP has another legal weapon in their arsenal. They can, at any time, decide to run a background check on an individual and access the CPIC database.

Once a criminal conviction has been found the CBP can now permanently bar entry of that person into the United States. Repeated attempts to “sneak through” without another background check occurring will only lead to very harsh penalties if a person defies this ban and is caught.

Personal Obstacles

Aside from professional and travel related issues, certain aspects of personal life can also be affected by the presence of a criminal record. People that are still renting their homes, for example, can also have background checks conducted to determine suitability for tenancy.
At the family level, even adoption applications require a background check. It’s understandable, considering that granting a child to parents means a need for positive influences, and a criminal conviction is a heavy strike against that. Volunteering and coaching also requires a criminal background check and it will certainly get in the way of being able to participate in those activities if you have a criminal record.

It’s Not Impossible To Fix

For anyone that has paid their debt to society and wants the same opportunities as others, Pardons Canada is here to help. A record suspension completely seals criminal records and restores a background to a “clean” state. If you want to regain this, we can help to ensure a successful application.