In recent years many of those trying to cross the Canadian border with a criminal record, have claimed an increase in difficulty when attempting to do so. Individuals without the proper paperwork and documentation have been increasingly turned down when approached by border agents causing for a rise of much confusion and frustration. This article hopes to shed light on a couple of reasons why many with criminal records are facing issues.
One of the first reasons, observed through past experiences and the tales of clients, involves the changing of personnel at many border locations. Though once staffed with a healthy amount of immigration and customs officers, current trends have shown that border stops now contain many fewer immigration officers. As immigration officers handled the entry of people and customs officers the entry of goods, many found immigration officers were more open to work with when it came to crossing the border. As customs officers had a main focus of enforcement, they were a bit more rigorous when dealing with those trying to cross the border. In the situation where an individual with a criminal record, no matter how old, appeared at the border without paperwork, a customs officer would be more likely to turn him down.
Another reason, also out of the control of many, is the downturn of the Canadian economy. With a recent rise in unemployment, and Canadians everywhere complaining about job security, the government has decided to turn to protectionist policy barring more immigrants from getting work permits to come into this country. Fortunately for many there are multiple Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exempt work permits one can use to get around the blockages of the government. Unfortunately, these are commonly assessed directly at the border which can lead to the bias of border agents turning down the applications. As these officers are only human, they may have friends or family that are suffering from unemployment, this could influence their decisions when assessing a permit.
Continuing on the topic of LMIA exempt permits, over recent years the requirements have changed multiple times making the process of obtaining one, once again, increasingly difficult. The job for lawyers trying to get their clients into the country has also become harder as past standards are no longer useful indicators in judging whether or not an individual will be allowed into the country.
In all it's important to be prudent when attempting to cross the Canadian border. Having all of the proper documentation is essential and without it you may have your trip cut short by a border agent. To check your eligibility to enter Canada check out our Free Online Assessment form!
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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.