Individuals who are inadmissible to Canada because of a criminal act, charge or conviction, committed in Canada or in foreign country, may be eligible to apply for Criminal Rehabilitation to overcome their inadmissibility and enter Canada without requiring special authorization.
To be eligible for Criminal Rehabilitation, at least five years must have passed since the completion of your sentence (i.e. completion of a jail sentence, probation or since fines and community service have been completed).
You may be considered to be deemed rehabilitated if at least 10 years have passed since you completed your sentence, depending on your type offence. Some individuals are not eligible for deemed rehabilitation depending on the classification of their offence under Canadian law.
If your offence was committed in Canada, you may be required to apply for a Canadian Pardon in order to be eligible for Criminal Rehabilitation.
