Denied Entry to Canada?

Many people are often shocked to discover that they are inadmissible to Canada. Travelling to a Port of Entry is never a sure thing. Whether you are traveling by commercial means or otherwise; if you have had a previous criminality, you may face issues when attempted to cross into Canada, or any country for that matter.

A Canadian Border Service Services Officer may refuse you entry to Canada at their discretion. An Officer who does their due diligence at a Port of Entry will look into your history and will have a record of any previous criminality. It is ultimately at the Officer’s discretion, whether or not they allow you to enter but for many who travel, this is not a risk they are willing to take.

Having a criminal past is just one reason you might be denied entry to Canada, there are many other reasons why an Officer may determine you pose a risk to Canada.

Reasons to be Denied into Canada

There are multiple reasons you might be refused entry to Canada. An Officer, using their discretion, will weigh the need versus the risk. Meaning, they will consider your need to enter Canada versus any risk you may pose.

Some reasons you may be denied entry to Canada are:

1. Security Reasons
2. Human Rights Violations
3. Committing a Serious Crime
4. Having known associations with criminals or organized crime
5. Health grounds
6. Financial reasons
7. Misrepresentation
8. Failure to comply with Immigration Regulations
9. Having an inadmissible family member

If any of the above scenarios applies to you, you technically require what is called a Temporary Resident Permit. This is a temporary document that allows you to overcome your inadmissibility for a pre-set amount of time.

This means that once you are successful in obtaining a Temporary Resident Permit, you will no longer face issue when attempting to cross into Canada. This is not to be confused with a status document, a Temporary Resident Visa allows you the ability to overcome your inadmissibility and enter Canada, it does not give you status in Canada. Depending on your intended purposes in Canada, you may need another document in order to achieve your goals.

For example, if you have a previous criminality but have a valid job offer to work in Canada and are going through the proceedings to obtain a labour market opinion and work permit, you will need a Temporary Resident Permit in addition to this in order to be able to enter and work in Canada.