Squamish with a criminal record

In a nutshell: i am an ex gang member, did prison time, came across a climbing magazine while incarcerated. It changed my world and saved my life. Fast forward to now, 6 years from my release, 9 from the time of crime. I live a few hours away from Squamish and would like to visit. They are very strict from i hear and usually turn people back at the border for even very small marks on their record. Is there anything i can do about this? Paperwork, lawyers, letters to the canadian government etc. Or should I just scratch Squamish off my list? Also, i am covered in tattoos so i am sure they will stop me at the border, rather than just look at my passport and wave me in. I wont be gambling on that.

Yes.

You could go through the process of getting allowed in but it's lengthy.

Before the experts say different. A regular climbing partner of mine assaulted police. I planned a trip AB to climb. I surprised him by setting everything up. He surprised me with violent criminals ain't allowed into Canada. He was turned back at the border.

I only ever went across on the Ontario end. I had a van that I lived out of and they hated that. I basically had to justify why I wasn't employed, that I hadn't met the girl I was heading to see online (I hadn't), and that I had enough money to leave. They also went over every inch of my van and asked me to turn on my computer for them to look it over. I have no criminal record at all.

The funny thing is, the line of cars in front of me, all local plates (NY vs WY in my case) would stop, show ID and Passport, and roll through. It was a pretty quick process.

It makes me wonder if you're in a car, not a van, if it's relatively easy to roll through. It was always the van with the bed in the back that made them pull me out of line.

I don't know.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote:I only ever went across on the Ontario end. I had a van that I lived out of and they hated that. I basically had to justify why I wasn't employed, that I hadn't met the girl I was heading to see online (I hadn't), and that I had enough money to leave. They also went over every inch of my van and asked me to turn on my computer for them to look it over. I have no criminal record at all. The funny thing is, the line of cars in front of me, all local plates (NY vs WY in my case) would stop, show ID and Passport, and roll through. It was a pretty quick process. It makes me wonder if you're in a car, not a van, if it's relatively easy to roll through. It was always the van with the bed in the back that made them pull me out of line. I don't know.

Hell, once at the border of WA and BC the lady asked me if I was meeting anyone in Canada.I replied that I was meeting a guide in Whistler. She asked if I was traveling anywhere else. I said yes, Squamish, Pemberton maybe lilioett. We were there answering 100 questions about the "guy" we're meeting which felt like forever. Finally I told them guide! Not guy! You know mountain guide!?

If you've committed a felony, you'll be denied entry, end of story. Seriously....google it. The tattoos won't matter. It's all about the criminal record.
Congratulations on turning your life around though! Unfortunantly, you might want to plan more climbing trips south instead of north.

I'd check with border patrol. If you have a passport it shouldn't be a problem. I've been to Canada with felons and not had an issue crossing.

Felons can get passports. It's the country that your trying to enter dictates whether or not to allow entry.

It's possible that they may miss the fact that you committed a crime. Maybe they don't disallow entry based on certain crimes. Best to check with the border guys.

There are bureaucratic channels to go through that may allow you entry.

I had a friend get turned away for a crime that was dismissed before arraignment and wiped "clean" from his record. Turns out it still turns up in a Canadian background check and he didn't have any paperwork to prove it. My guess is even if he had the paper work, or they were able to contact the court that dismissed, they would have turned him away :/

Kind of sucky, especially when you get turned away in WA when you are coming from Boston.

That said, I hear there are ways to apply for rehabilitation, etc and even still that wont gurantee entry, but you could try.

Best of luck!

I'm a felon for cultivation in 89. Been to BC twice for a month in the past three years, no problem at border. I suggest having cleaner cut partner drive, have all your climb/camp gear visible.
Also, have a backup plan. I suggest Leavenworth and do the one day hike of the Enchantments. Stoked for ya.

Your best bet is to read what the Canucks have to say: cic.gc.ca/english/informati…

That said the practical advise is to have all of your paper work with you and given that you live close to the border try to make a visit to Vancouver and see what happens.

Regarding the tats. Wear clothing that will cover them as much as possible.

I am definitely going to fill out the paperwork allen and see what happens. It wont hurt to try. I already have a passport. The US and other countries have tons to climb but Squamish is just so close! Ah, this is the bed I've made so it is what it is. Thanks for all the helpful info everyone. Cheers.

A guy I worked with had a DUI conviction. Flew into Toronto and was asked if he'd ever been arrested and convicted of a crime. He said no. Was asked again and he said no. He was arrested on the spot. Can't remember the charge. Spent five days in jail until we could get him released. Hired local lawyer, etc.

I got a speeding ticket on way to Bugs. Paid it before I left. Three years later I'm crossing border and was asked "have you ever had any interaction with Canadian police?" Said yes, speeding ticket that was paid. They said "thanks and enjoy your stay."

I wouldn't bullshit them at the border!

If it is really close I would dress up and try it once. Know where you're going. Expect to answer length of stay, job in US, whether your armed, bringing anything with you, whether your political (answer is no).

If the crime turns up expect to be sent away.

Then fill out paperwork. I know coming to the US you can buy your way in with a record for 300/yr for some stuff.

Good luck.

When I crossed the border, their biggest concern seemed to be whether I had guns (this was right after a mass shooting), and wanted to make sure that I wasn't stashing any in my crash pads or anything like that. That being said, they seemed to have seen enough climbers driving to Squamish that at least I didn't have to do much explaining once they were satisfied that I wasn't going to shoot anyone. Not sure how your background will play into that, but hopefully they'll realize that your background isn't you. Best of luck, and if you don't make it to Squamish, have a great time wherever else you end up!

Johnny Ink wrote:In a nutshell: i am an ex gang member, did prison time, came across a climbing magazine while incarcerated, it changed my world and saved my life. Fast forward to now, 6 years from my release, 9 from the time of crime. I live a few hours away from Squamish and would like to visit. They are very strict from i hear and usually turn people back at the border for even very small marks on their record. Is there anything i can do about this? Paperwork, lawyers, letters to the canadian government etc. Or should I just scratch Squamish off my list? Also, i am covered in tattoos so i am sure they will stop me at the border, rather than just look at my passport and wave me in. I wont be gambling on that.

First, glad to hear you got your shit together and didn't wind up as one of those people that are just in and out of prison their whole lives.

1- they will go through your and everyone else in the car's record no matter what you look like.

2- they will have your entire history on a screen

3- they won't let you in

4- there is absolutely no "discretion" involved, it doesn't matter which border guard you wind up with, their rules are their rules and the rules are way strict.

The only thing you can do is call the Canadian Customs office, tell them the whole story, and ask them what to do.

They will tell you that your only option is to apply for what is called "Criminal Rehabilitation".
This simply involves jumping through a few paperwork hoops and, as of 2013 when I did it, a fine/fee of around $250.

IMPORTANT-
DO NOT TRY TO CROSS THE BORDER AGAIN AFTER BEING TURNED BACK ONCE.
Do this and they will put you on a list which will make the CR process much harder.

All the border crossings are policed to the same crazy strict degree. I'm sure some people will chime in and say they breezed through no problem but 95% of the time the Canadian border police are ultra efficient and the laws are way stricter than in the US.

Bottom line is it's do-able. You just have to play the game and pro-actively seek out the proper hoops to jump through.

More info here: ezbordercrossing.com/the-in…

PS- I have a few things on my record that I actually did and was convicted of, but the one thing that screwed me at the border was a CHARGE that was later dismissed. No conviction. This charge was pure bullshit and never even happened and that became clear to all involved right away, but because the charge was for a violent act, it is a huge red flag for entry to Canada.

Point is, you have to inform them not only of actual stuff on your record, but all charges as well.

Again- it's do-able. Good luck man.

Even though everything says that you're not going to get in, if you're close enough, it can't hurt to try. My boyfriend has a record. It's been 10 years since he was convicted, but less than 5 since his probation was over. We're living out of our van. We were climbing in Leavenworth and even though we both thought there was no chance, we decided to give it a shot. The worst that could happen is they say no and we go back to Leavenworth. We went to one of the smaller border crossings, not the interstate 5 one, on a Monday. The guard asked if we had ever been fingerprinted and my boyfriend told him about his conviction. He gave as little detail as he could, while still answering all the questions honestly. The guard asked us like 3 times whether or not we had any weapons and how much money we had access to. He was more concerned with whether or not we'd get stuck in Canada than anything else. He didn't even search our van. Just asked us a few questions about what we plan to do in Canada, ran our passports through his system, and said, "Enjoy your stay in Canada."

So yeah, most likely they'll turn you away or give you a hard time. But there's always a chance you'll get lucky. We sure did.

I've been across the border many times and it's usually a crap shoot on whether they'll wave you through after looking at your passport (and not their screen) or dig deeper. If you're close I'd say give it a shot, but like everybody else is saying; have a backup plan.

I am going the permanent entry route. I have the forms i need to request my records. After I fill those out and receive a copy of the records (oregon, california, and fbi). I will then have to write a letter to the Canadian government and tell them the circumstances for each incident in detail, and why i want to gain entry to Canada. I must also provide character reference letters from my friends and employer. They will then look it over, and decide whether to deem me rehabilitated or not. If all goes well, i will be able to cross the border no probs. It seems like a lot of work but i think it's worth it. Even if they say no, i would be content knowing that i tried. I would probably still try somehow even then. It's like a very difficult red point :) Everyone has been really helpful and i will let you all know the results.

I have looked into it some. Is the way you're going the one that costs like $1000?

Not sure loaf crimp. It may.

Mr. Ink,

Let's just go to Index! Manada the other 'Merica has the most expensive beer you will ever see. :)