A felony conviction from the United States can keep you out of Canada, but it usually isn’t a permanent bar. Whether felons can go to Canada depends on the offense, how long ago you finished your sentence, and whether you’ve taken steps to resolve your inadmissibility. Depending on those facts, you may already qualify to enter, you may need to file a rehabilitation application, or you may need a permit to cover a specific trip.
How Canada Decides You’re Inadmissible
Canadian border officers don’t apply US law. They look at your conviction and find its closest equivalent under Canadian criminal law, and if that equivalent is serious enough, you’re criminally inadmissible.1Government of Canada. Reasons You May Be Inadmissible to Canada A US misdemeanor can line up with an indictable offense in Canada, and a US felony can line up with something less serious. The label on your rap sheet is not the label Canada uses.
Canadian offenses come in three types. Summary offenses are minor. Indictable offenses are serious, with maximum sentences up to life. Hybrid offenses can be charged either way, and for immigration purposes Canada treats them as indictable.
Serious Criminality vs. Ordinary Criminality
Within criminal inadmissibility, Canada draws a hard line. “Serious criminality” applies when the Canadian equivalent of your offense carries a maximum sentence of at least 10 years, and it covers things like aggravated assault, robbery, and major drug trafficking.2Department of Justice Canada. Immigration and Refugee Protection Act – Section 36 Ordinary “criminality” covers offenses with a maximum under 10 years, including many DUIs, theft, and simple assault. The distinction matters because serious criminality narrows your options and raises your fees.
DUI is the single most common trigger for Americans. Canada reclassified impaired driving as a more serious offense in 2018, and a single DUI can now put you in the serious criminality category.3Government of Canada. Find Out if You Can Enter Canada: Inadmissibility Theft, assault, drug possession, fraud, and weapons charges also come up regularly.
Assume Canada Already Knows
Canadian border officers have real-time electronic access to US law enforcement databases, including the FBI’s National Crime Information Center. When you hand over your passport, your criminal history is a few keystrokes away. Showing up and hoping the conviction won’t surface tends to make things worse, not better.
Deemed Rehabilitation: The Automatic Path
Deemed rehabilitation is the simplest way back in because there’s no application and no fee. Enough time passes after you finish your sentence, and Canadian law treats you as rehabilitated. The timelines:4Government of Canada. Deemed Rehabilitation
- A single indictable offense: at least 10 years since you completed your sentence, and the Canadian equivalent must carry a maximum of less than 10 years.
- Two or more summary convictions: at least 5 years since you completed your sentence.
“Completed your sentence” means all of it, including jail, probation, fines, and restitution. If your offense falls under serious criminality, deemed rehabilitation is not available at all. You’ll need the formal application instead.
Even though nothing is filed in advance, don’t assume the officer will simply wave you through. Bring court records and proof that every part of your sentence is done. The officer decides at the port of entry, and if the paperwork isn’t there, you can be turned around.
Individual Rehabilitation: The Application
If deemed rehabilitation doesn’t apply, whether because the offense is too serious, you have multiple convictions, or not enough time has passed, you can apply for individual rehabilitation. This is a formal filing where you show that you’ve rehabilitated and pose no risk.5Government of Canada. Rehabilitation for Persons Who Are Inadmissible to Canada Because of Past Criminal Activity
You need at least five years since finishing your entire sentence. People miscalculate this by counting from the conviction date, but the clock starts when the last piece of the sentence is done, whether that’s probation ending or a final installment on a fine.
Supporting evidence usually includes court records, police certificates, employment history, community involvement, and personal references. Fees as of December 2025:6Government of Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees: Fee List
- Ordinary criminality: CAD $246.25
- Serious criminality: CAD $1,231.00
Straightforward files may take six to twelve months. Complex ones, or files where IRCC requests more information, can run past eighteen. Once approved, rehabilitation is permanent for the covered offenses, and you don’t reapply for future trips.
Temporary Resident Permit: When You Can’t Wait
A Temporary Resident Permit lets you enter Canada for a specific trip while still technically inadmissible.7Government of Canada. Temporary Resident Permit Canada issues a TRP only when the reason for entry outweighs the risk. A vacation rarely qualifies. A business obligation, a funeral, or urgent medical care carries more weight.
A TRP can be valid for a single visit or multiple entries, and for anywhere from one day up to three years. The fee is CAD $246.25.6Government of Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees: Fee List You can apply through a visa application centre in advance, which takes weeks to months, or request one at the port of entry, which can be decided the same day but is never guaranteed. A TRP does not fix your inadmissibility. When it expires, you’re back where you started unless you also pursue rehabilitation.
Do US Pardons and Expungements Help?
Usually not, at least not automatically. A US pardon is evaluated case by case, and IRCC tells applicants with a foreign pardon to check with the nearest visa office before assuming it counts.8Government of Canada. I Received a Pardon for My Crime. Can I Enter Canada?
Sealed and expunged records generally don’t help either. The conviction still appears in the FBI databases Canadian officers query, so from the border officer’s screen a sealed record looks the same as an open one. If the US relief functionally erases the conviction the way a Canadian record suspension would, there may be an argument that it no longer counts, but that determination is fact-specific and not something to test cold at the border.
What Happens if You Try Without Resolving It
The best case at the border is that the officer lets you withdraw your request to enter and go back to the US without a formal refusal on record. Officers have discretion to allow that, but no obligation to.9Government of Canada. Enforcing Removals from Canada
The worse outcomes are formal removal orders:
- A departure order requires you to leave within 30 days and confirm your departure with CBSA. Miss that step and it converts automatically to a deportation order.
- An exclusion order bans you for one year, or five years if misrepresentation is involved. Coming back sooner requires an Authorization to Return to Canada.10Department of Justice Canada. Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
- A deportation order bars you permanently unless you obtain an Authorization to Return.
Any of these on your record makes every future application harder. Fixing inadmissibility before you travel is almost always cheaper than fixing a removal after.
Can Your Family Still Travel Without You?
Yes. Canadian immigration law does make accompanying family of an inadmissible person also inadmissible, but for temporary entry that rule only applies where the inadmissibility is based on security threats, human rights violations, or organized crime.11Department of Justice Canada. Immigration and Refugee Protection Act – Section 42 Criminal inadmissibility isn’t on that list. Your spouse and kids can visit Canada on their own even if you can’t come along.