Traveling to Canada w/ a criminal record

[bfoster007]

Going on an Alaska cruise this summer with a 5 hour stop in Victoria, BC. There is some criminal activity in my past, which occurred almost a decade ago. I know that the Canadian government are sticklers about allowing visitors to enter the country with any type of criminal record, especially felonies. I also know that the decision to let you enter is really at the discretion of the customs agents. Should I just stay on the ship while in port? Get myself cleared prior to cruising with the consulate? Or just not worry about it? Any advice?

[BruceMuzz]

The Canadian Authorities are way ahead of you on this issue.

They have access to the US Justice System computers.

They typically contact the ship a few days before it calls at a Canadian Port, listing the Americans who must be interviewed by Canadian Authorities upon arrival.

Those passengers are blocked in the system from going ashore.

In most cases the passengers with criminal records are warned not to try to go ashore in the Canadian Port.

The ship cooperates by blocking them at the gangway.

This is usually good enough for the Authorities.

[Putterdude]

That is a difficult question, however as the offence occured almost 10 years ago and if there is nothing else since then odds are you will be admitted. Your only risk in Victoria is that you would suffer the embarrassment of not being allowed through customs and would have to return to the ship. If it were me...I would probably take the chance.:)

[lady_cruiser]

I am not a lawyer nor do I work in the patrol system but I think that you already came up with an answer to your own question. Get prior approval first before leaving the ship. That way there is no embrassement on your part. You said your criminal past was 10 years ago. If you have not had anymore run ins with the law since then I would like to congradulate you on turning your life around.

[paul929207]

Passengers do not individually go thru immigration when docking in Victoria. The entire ship is checked by Canadian authorities. If there is a passenger (or crew member) that the Canadians want to talk to or not allow in their country they are identified prior to arrival.

[ikelmay]

If you do some searching around, I recall a thread or two that discuss this - I think there's some process where you can have your record expunged with the Canadian authorities, but it may depend on the severity of the activity - this comes up particularly with DUI's which are viewed differently in Canada compared to the U.S.

[Kingisacruiser]

You will defiitely be blocked from leaving the ship in Canada. It depends on how badly you want to get off the ship. If there is something you want to see or do, get prior approval from the consulate, if not enjoy the ship during Canadian ports.

[Travelcat2]

We live near the Canadian border and have heard fairly detailed horror stories about people with DUI's going back 20 years not being admitted into the country. On the other hand, depending upon how long ago the offense was and which Agent you are interviewed by, you can pay $200 for a temporary entry.

 

In spite of everything, I would do what I could to get pre-approved (knowing that they will no doubt charge you to allow you in).

[Happy ks]

Perhaps this will help:

 

http://www.consular.canada.usembassy.gov/enter_canada.asp

[Ephraim]

There is no such thing as a felony or misdemeanour in Canada. It is either a criminal or a summary offence. The categorization in the US is simply not relevant at all, only the Canadian categorization is important based on how it would normally be adjudicated in Canada. While "DUI" in the US may be a misdemeanour on your record, in Canada "Impaired Driving" is a criminal offence.

 

Canada usually excuses your record at the discretion of Canadian Border Services if your record has been clean since the maximum Canadian sentence has passed and you are not considered a dangerous offender.

 

The database that the Canadian government uses is provided by the US government, so if your past is listed in the US database, Canada will see it.

 

If your record is clean and they don't ask to see you, I would assume you are cleared to disembark. Worst case scenario is that you try and they refuse. I just wouldn't book a non-refundable excursion.

[bfoster007]

Thank you to everyone who replied to my post. Since we are only in the port of Victoria for 5 hours I'm not even going to stress out about getting off the ship. There's plenty to do onboard anyways! Plus, I live in Seattle so I can always visit Victoria sometime in the future. Thanks again!

[bfoster007]

Good to know paul929207, thanks!