Canadians love to travel. This fact is reflected in the number of Canadians currently holding valid Canadian passports increasing to 60 percent from only 36 percent in 2005. Although the recession in 2008 kept many from travelling the way they would have liked, some choosing to pursue the “staycation” while the economy was sluggish, the number of people traveling has since rebounded.
During the 2010/2011 winter travel season, 10 percent more Canadians travelled to the US than the previous year, with Hawaii proving to be the one of the most attractive places. The US is a top destination for Canadians. In fact, several US locations are currently on the list of the top 25 beaches in the world for 2011. Unfortunately for some would be travelers, a Canadian criminal record limits your ability to travel to the US.
Travelling abroad has also seen a resurgence. In the winter, Canadians love the sun, choosing R & R on beaches and cruises. And during the other seasons, destinations like Mexico, Cuba, Britain, and China are increasingly popular. To take advantage of lower flight costs, a significant number of Canadian travelers are now going to the US for flights to US destinations and around the world.
Quite apparent is the position that the US holds in all these ventures. A predominance of travel is either to or through the US. What a shame it is that so many Canadians cannot even consider pursuing their dream vacations because they have a criminal record. Only through getting a pardon to remove that criminal record and receiving a waiver to gain entry into the US will that dream become a reality.
Pardon Me, Canada, your source for information on criminal records and pardons in Canada. Stay up to date and informed on legislative changes and more with the Pardon Me, Canada Blog.
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Traveling with a Criminal Record 2
Numerous Canadians have traveled abroad with a criminal record and have not experienced any trouble resulting from their record(s). Unfortunately, this can often lead to a false sense of security regarding the risk of traveling with a criminal record. Virtually all countries of the world have various laws prohibiting or discouraging entry with a criminal history, with certain exceptions made for certain offences.
Outside of the United States, no other countries have negotiated access to CPIC, Canada's federally managed criminal record repository. For this reason, these countries do not typically take an interest in checking on short term visitors. The process to check on visitors through their embassy being rather burdensome. As a rule of thumb, if a traveler is entering the country for less than a month, they will not have their background checked.
However, in those rare cases that a traveler is checked, the consequences of having a record can be devastating, often way beyond what one would expect for simply traveling with, say, a 20+ year old criminal record.
Take the case of a recent unfortunate Canadian man from Maple Ridge, British Columbia. On an all inclusive vacation to Mexico in early 2008, he was involved in a minor altercation in a Mexican night club frequented by both tourists and locals. After the Mexican police looked into the man's file in Canada, and found a criminal history, he was arrested and detained, pending an investigation. Despite his innocence of any crime (at least not serious), he remains in Mexican prison to this day, having yet to even appear before a judge. His family is desperately trying to free him, but in the mean time, they pay several hundred dollars a month just to keep him alive. Such is the fate of numerous Canadians and other foreigners in many South American countries, where the support payments are coveted. People with criminal records are often the subject of discrimination here in Canada, but when overseas, the problem and consequence is multiplied many fold.
Considering the risk, it is always advisable to clear your criminal record with a Pardon before any foreign trip.
Outside of the United States, no other countries have negotiated access to CPIC, Canada's federally managed criminal record repository. For this reason, these countries do not typically take an interest in checking on short term visitors. The process to check on visitors through their embassy being rather burdensome. As a rule of thumb, if a traveler is entering the country for less than a month, they will not have their background checked.
However, in those rare cases that a traveler is checked, the consequences of having a record can be devastating, often way beyond what one would expect for simply traveling with, say, a 20+ year old criminal record.
Take the case of a recent unfortunate Canadian man from Maple Ridge, British Columbia. On an all inclusive vacation to Mexico in early 2008, he was involved in a minor altercation in a Mexican night club frequented by both tourists and locals. After the Mexican police looked into the man's file in Canada, and found a criminal history, he was arrested and detained, pending an investigation. Despite his innocence of any crime (at least not serious), he remains in Mexican prison to this day, having yet to even appear before a judge. His family is desperately trying to free him, but in the mean time, they pay several hundred dollars a month just to keep him alive. Such is the fate of numerous Canadians and other foreigners in many South American countries, where the support payments are coveted. People with criminal records are often the subject of discrimination here in Canada, but when overseas, the problem and consequence is multiplied many fold.
Considering the risk, it is always advisable to clear your criminal record with a Pardon before any foreign trip.
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