Border Crossing Problem

[nctraveler54]

My wife and I recently returned from a 10 day NY to Quebec cruise. We were telling some friends about the great time we had and this question came up.

 

If you have a border crossing issue, how can it be cleared up?

 

One guy said he was turned away this year at a border crossing for a 44 year old problem he had in high school - he is now 61. I would think there is a way to correct most matters, just not sure where to tell him to start. He was caught carrying a knife back then.

 

Thanks in advance for any help or informatiom.

[Earl Rosebery]

My wife and I recently returned from a 10 day NY to Quebec cruise. We were telling some friends about the great time we had and this question came up.

 

If you have a border crossing issue, how can it be cleared up?

 

One guy said he was turned away this year at a border crossing for a 44 year old problem he had in high school - he is now 61. I would think there is a way to correct most matters, just not sure where to tell him to start. He was caught carrying a knife back then.

 

Thanks in advance for any help or informatiom.

 

Was your friend crossing into Canada or the US? Border guys on the US side have been known to turn people away who admitted to smoking pot years before in high school. They mustn't have anything better to do or are looking for an excuse to turn someone away. Coming into Canada most people are deemed to have been rehabilitated if 10 years have passed. Unfortunately this is at the discretion of the officer. There is a formal process which costs $200 and can take up to a year. This is the link

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/faq-inadmissibility.asp

[nctraveler54]

Was your friend crossing into Canada or the US? Border guys on the US side have been known to turn people away who admitted to smoking pot years before in high school. They mustn't have anything better to do or are looking for an excuse to turn someone away. Coming into Canada most people are deemed to have been rehabilitated if 10 years have passed. Unfortunately this is at the discretion of the officer. There is a formal process which costs $200 and can take up to a year. This is the link

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/faq-inadmissibility.asp

 

He was trying to cross into Canada from the US, that part I am sure of. I guess I question the " knife carrying " thing. I would think this would have been a misdemeanor at best back then. But as you say, it is up to the agent at the border crossing.

 

I will forward this link to him - thanks.

[Ephraim]

He was trying to cross into Canada from the US, that part I am sure of. I guess I question the " knife carrying " thing. I would think this would have been a misdemeanor at best back then. But as you say, it is up to the agent at the border crossing.

 

I will forward this link to him - thanks.

 

There is no such thing as a misdemeanor in Canada, so that means absolutely nothing. We have summary or criminal charges. How it was adjudicated in the US is also of no consequence in Canada, all the agent sees is the criminal record and therefore has to use the Canadian equivalent and how it would bee adjudicated in Canada.

 

Generally, Canada considers you rehabilitated 10 years after the maximum sentence in Canada, unless it is a capital crime, which are never forgiven. The US government refuses to accept Canadian's pardons, so Canada refuses to accept US pardons. If a fourty-four year old case is creating problems, your friend likely needs to see what is on his criminal record before applying to be rehabilitated. He should contact the local police or the FBI to get a copy of his criminal report. Border services doesn't usually care about anything that old. And it rarely even appears on the records if it was so long ago. Smells like Denmark to me.

[Crazy Gramps]

I'm so happy I have passports for both countries.

 

Get a welcome no matter what direction I'm going.

 

Gramps