As reported in the news, Conrad Black was released from a US prison and today has been admitted to Canada. He has been convicted of Fraud and did time for it in the US. Since he renounced his Canadian citizenship in order to become a member of the House of Lords in the UK, he has no longer a right to enter Canada. 

Therefore as a Canadian non-resident with a criminal conviction, Lord Black is inadmissible to Canada. He, like anyone with a serious criminal conviction of less than 5 years old, would require a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) in order to be admitted to Canada. And that is exactly what Lord Black applied for. And being Lord Black, he was issued a TRP in record time.

For the rest of us, however, a TRP application can be a long, arduous process, sometimes taking months. In some cases, if you are American, you may be able to apply for a TRP right at the Canadian/US Port of Entry but that approach comes with some risks: There is no guarantee of approval and if you are refused, you would be turned back on the spot.

TRPs are for people with convictions of all sorts who wish to gain admission to Canada. They are usually valid for up to one year and can be renewed. In some cases, if your conviction is over 5 years old, you could apply for Criminal Rehabilitation which means that, if approved, your record will be permanently removed for Canadian entry purposes.

Perhaps Lord Black will apply for Criminal Rehabilitation when he is eligible. Or maybe he will apply for a resumption of his Canadian citizenship. Either way, I suspect that he will have no difficulty coming to Canada in the foreseeable future.

Were you denied entry to Canada? Do you have a criminal record? There are options. Visit our Temporary Resident Permit page for details.

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