Living with a criminal record is a burden. Fortunately, it is not impossible to get a pardon in Canada. According to the Parole Board of Canada, over 500,000 Pardons have been issued ever since 1970. If you have a criminal record in Canada and want to get a Pardon, read on to see the basics of the process for obtaining a Pardon, as well as how to determine your eligibility.
The Process For Obtaining a Pardon in Canada
By acquiring a Pardon/ Record Suspension, you are relieved of the stigma attached to harbouring a criminal record. This means more employment, travel, and education opportunities. However, before you can be granted a Pardon, you need to complete a detailed legal application process first. While you can attempt this process on your own, it is still recommended that you get professional help so that everything can be done correctly. Here is more information on the Pardon application process:
Determining Your Eligibility For Pardon
It takes more than filling out some paperwork to complete the Pardon application process. This legal application process is very detailed, and it can take a lot of time and money. For this reason, you need to make sure that you are eligible before you proceed. There are two main factors that determine eligibility, including:
Your Waiting Period
The waiting period is five years for a summary offence or minor offences such as breaching of parole, and ten years for an indictable offence, which refers to a more serious crime such as assault. Consult with Pardon Applications of Canada to make certain of your charge.
Your Offense
New laws have made penalties more strict for some offences, particularly ones that involved sexual acts toward minors. Schedule 1 offences against a minor are now ineligible for a Pardon. In addition, if you have three offences with a sentence of two years or more, you are also not eligible.
Obtaining Pardon Documents
Once you have determined your eligibility, you need to obtain some specific documents. Each case varies depending on the nature of an individual’s crime and their unique living situation. That being said, there are certain pieces of information that are required for everyone:
Nationwide RCMP Fingerprints
These are done at accredited facilities and detachments in Canada. They need to be completed via LIVEScan and given to the Civil Fingerprint Screening Service in Ottawa (RCMP), who will generate the results.
Proof of Convictions
Each and every one of your convictions must be on your criminal record. Otherwise, you need to provide proof of conviction for the ones that are missing.
Court Information
Acquire your court information from the court or courts that heard your case. If you were sentenced in multiple courts, then you must obtain information for each.
Local Police Record
Local police records for the town where you live must be obtained. Note that you must do this for every place you have lived in the past five years for over three months.
Record Suspension Application Form
The form needs to be filled out properly and accurately. This means that all questions on both sides of the form must be filled in.
After every document mentioned above is completed, you are now set to submit your application to the government of Canada for review. We specialise in pardon applications in Canada, get in touch today to see how we can help!
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