A few more articles are out:
Pardons in an Unforgiving Economy
Clearing Up More Confusion about Canadian Criminal Records
In Other News...
Here is an interesting article: Police Dealing with Increased Demand for Reference Checks
Criminal Records and Voting in the United States
Here is a campaign put out by The Florida Rights Restoration Commission to notify Americans with criminal records that they can still have a voice, and vote in the upcoming election.
Read the comments below the ad, they offer some insight into a few of the misconceptions about criminal records that we see here every day.
Pardon Me, Canada link
Read the comments below the ad, they offer some insight into a few of the misconceptions about criminal records that we see here every day.
Pardon Me, Canada link
Question of the Week
Q.
If I already have a pardon and I commit a new offence, can I apply for a pardon again?
A.
Your whole record will be sealed when you apply for a new pardon, however you will have to demonstrate 3-5 years of being an upstanding citizen, after the completion of your last sentence.
If I already have a pardon and I commit a new offence, can I apply for a pardon again?
A.
Your whole record will be sealed when you apply for a new pardon, however you will have to demonstrate 3-5 years of being an upstanding citizen, after the completion of your last sentence.
On Forgiveness
“'What characterizes the human race more…cruelty, or the capacity to feel shame for it?’ I thought the question acutely clever then, when I first heard it, but I’m lonelier and wiser now, and I know it isn’t cruelty or shame that characterizes the human race. It’s forgiveness that makes us what we are. Without forgiveness, our species would’ve annihilated itself into endless retributions. Without forgiveness, there would be no history. Without that hope, there would be no art, for every work of art is in some way an act of forgiveness. Without that dream, there would be no love, for every act of love is in some way a promise to forgive. We live on because we can love, and we love because we can forgive.”
-Gregory David Roberts, author
-Gregory David Roberts, author
Other Blogs About Pardons
I have started a few other blogs about the pardon process to keep you better informed of the issues that can arise involving criminal records.
Remove Your Record is a user-friendly site that neatly lays out the Top Ten Reasons to Remove Your Record. It is a work-in-progress, so be sure to check back from time-to-time for updates.
Canada Criminal Record is a blog about the latest news about criminal records in Canada. The idea is to keep you as current as possible regarding laws and stipulations.
Pardon Services Canada Blog is a testimonial site, with real comments from real clients. It is both informative, and a means of showing you the legitimacy of Pardon Services Canada as the only pardon provider with nealy 20 years of professional, expedient and discreet results.
Remove Your Record is a user-friendly site that neatly lays out the Top Ten Reasons to Remove Your Record. It is a work-in-progress, so be sure to check back from time-to-time for updates.
Canada Criminal Record is a blog about the latest news about criminal records in Canada. The idea is to keep you as current as possible regarding laws and stipulations.
Pardon Services Canada Blog is a testimonial site, with real comments from real clients. It is both informative, and a means of showing you the legitimacy of Pardon Services Canada as the only pardon provider with nealy 20 years of professional, expedient and discreet results.
Question of the Week #2
Q.
I have a criminal record from 10 years ago. I want to work overseas on an oil rig. How fast can I get a pardon? Is there an emergency pardon available? Money is not an issue...so how can I speed up the process?
A.
Pardon Services Canada offers a Premium Pardon Service that allows you to expedite the pardon process. There are no specific time guarantees, however, it is typical that you will receive your pardon 6 months earlier than standard applicants.
I have a criminal record from 10 years ago. I want to work overseas on an oil rig. How fast can I get a pardon? Is there an emergency pardon available? Money is not an issue...so how can I speed up the process?
A.
Pardon Services Canada offers a Premium Pardon Service that allows you to expedite the pardon process. There are no specific time guarantees, however, it is typical that you will receive your pardon 6 months earlier than standard applicants.
Question of the Week
Question:
Can people find out that you hae received a pardon? Does it show up on the CPIC?
Answer:
Once a pardon has been issued, your criminal record can only be unsealed through the authority of the Minister of Public Safety. The CPIC have no record of it.
Can people find out that you hae received a pardon? Does it show up on the CPIC?
Answer:
Once a pardon has been issued, your criminal record can only be unsealed through the authority of the Minister of Public Safety. The CPIC have no record of it.
Border Blues
There are many stories about people who have travelled back and forth from Canada to the United States, to suddenly, one day, out of the blue, get caught for a long-forgotten record.
In one recent example, a journalist was travelling south with her mother. She had completely forgotten about a fine that she had received in the States 26 years earlier. The resulting incident was not what you would call pleasant.
Basically her story went like this:
She was on a flight to the U.S. a quarter of a century ago with an old boyfriend. Customs caught him with a tiny, stained pot pipe tucked into his shorts. Worried that he might go to jail because of his previous record, he asked his girlfriend (the journalist) to take the heat. She did. And wound up with a $75 fine and a boot back to Canada.
Either way, she completely forgot about the incident. There was no documentation or any kind of follow-up.
Needless to say, she went back and forth through the border several times without thinking twice about the incident. Until one day, they pulled her aside. And that day she just happened to be with her mother.
Her fine from 26 years ago came up (these incidences are never erased) and as a result, she had to be fingerprinted and photographed for the FBI's files. She was also deported. For good.
This journalist now joins the ranks of 40,000 Canadians that are rejected at the American border each year. The only way through is an Entry Waiver. About 4000 waivers are granted each year.
Instead of having your travel plans ruined as well, it is something you should look into first.
In one recent example, a journalist was travelling south with her mother. She had completely forgotten about a fine that she had received in the States 26 years earlier. The resulting incident was not what you would call pleasant.
Basically her story went like this:
She was on a flight to the U.S. a quarter of a century ago with an old boyfriend. Customs caught him with a tiny, stained pot pipe tucked into his shorts. Worried that he might go to jail because of his previous record, he asked his girlfriend (the journalist) to take the heat. She did. And wound up with a $75 fine and a boot back to Canada.
Either way, she completely forgot about the incident. There was no documentation or any kind of follow-up.
Needless to say, she went back and forth through the border several times without thinking twice about the incident. Until one day, they pulled her aside. And that day she just happened to be with her mother.
Her fine from 26 years ago came up (these incidences are never erased) and as a result, she had to be fingerprinted and photographed for the FBI's files. She was also deported. For good.
This journalist now joins the ranks of 40,000 Canadians that are rejected at the American border each year. The only way through is an Entry Waiver. About 4000 waivers are granted each year.
Instead of having your travel plans ruined as well, it is something you should look into first.
Criminal Records in Canada
Did you know that the majority of criminal records in Canada are pardonable?
Here are the criteria for your pardon:
1. You have been convicted of a federal offence as an adult
2. It has been at least three years since you have completed your sentence
And that's it.
However, note that the term "completed your sentence" is subject to the following conditions:
You have paid all of your fines, costs, surcharges, and have made restitution or compensation, and completed any order of probation, conditional sentence, and incarceration (which includes time on parole and statuatory release).
Here are the criteria for your pardon:
1. You have been convicted of a federal offence as an adult
2. It has been at least three years since you have completed your sentence
And that's it.
However, note that the term "completed your sentence" is subject to the following conditions:
You have paid all of your fines, costs, surcharges, and have made restitution or compensation, and completed any order of probation, conditional sentence, and incarceration (which includes time on parole and statuatory release).
Criminal Record Checks
It has never been easier for employers to do background checks on their employees.
A random search on your legal history can happen at any time.
However, with a pardon, your criminal record will not show up.
A random search on your legal history can happen at any time.
However, with a pardon, your criminal record will not show up.
Canadian Criminal Records and their Pardons Better Handled By Professionals
When it comes to pardons, more than 70% of all applications are filled out by individuals on their own. The remainder are completed by third parties such as private agencies, lawyers, societies, Social services, etc.
Applications filled out by individuals are almost 3X as likely to be rejected.
Individual forms were rejected 11.55% more often because they were incomplete.
Almost a quarter of all pardon applications are rejected. This is usually because they are incomplete.
In fact, in a survey carried out in 2006, it was found that individuals submitted 4,780 incomplete forms to the 680 incomplete forms of agencies.
Who needs pardons? Just about everyone with a record.
Roughly 2,625,000 Canadians are eligible.
Applications filled out by individuals are almost 3X as likely to be rejected.
Individual forms were rejected 11.55% more often because they were incomplete.
Almost a quarter of all pardon applications are rejected. This is usually because they are incomplete.
In fact, in a survey carried out in 2006, it was found that individuals submitted 4,780 incomplete forms to the 680 incomplete forms of agencies.
Who needs pardons? Just about everyone with a record.
Roughly 2,625,000 Canadians are eligible.
The Roller Coaster
We are living in very uncertain times. The stock market has taken a downturn and jobs are being slashed everywhere.
Soon, many people will be looking for new employment. Promotions will be more difficult to achieve than ever before. And travel or working overseas may be inevitable.
There has never been a better time to clear your criminal record. In these troubled times, a clean record is the only certainty.
Soon, many people will be looking for new employment. Promotions will be more difficult to achieve than ever before. And travel or working overseas may be inevitable.
There has never been a better time to clear your criminal record. In these troubled times, a clean record is the only certainty.
Clear History
The purpose of this blog is to offer Canadians precise, up-to-the-minute information about obtaining pardons, waivers and their legal rights.
I will post as regularily as possible. I look forward to your feedback and questions.
I will post as regularily as possible. I look forward to your feedback and questions.
Our New Column
I will be writing a weekly column about crimal records, rights and the pardon process.
You can read about it here: Pardon Services Canada articles.
Open Letter
October 3, 2008
To Whom It May Concern,
There are over three million Canadian citizens that currently have a criminal record. It has come to our attention that many of them do not understand the legalities of their situation. Some Canadians believe that their record will be automatically pardoned after a certain amount of time, as in the United States. This is not true. A criminal record will stay with you for life unless action is taken to expunge it. Conversely, many Canadians believe that their criminal record is permanent, forever hindering them from finding certain types of work, travelling overseas, or seeking adoption or volunteer work. This is also untrue. The majority of criminal records in Canada today are eligible for a pardon. Furthermore, and most dangerously, there are many Canadians that have a criminal record, but are unaware that they have one. Being caught without a record in a foreign country can lead to deportation, detainment, property seizure and worse, and ignorance is not an excuse.
It is important that Canadians know their rights in these matters. A record, in many cases, can be pardoned. Waivers, in many circumstances, can be granted to those who wish to travel to the United States. There are many services available to help people navigate the pardon procedure. Some of these services have been in operation for nearly twenty years.
Please post this on your bulletin board so that Canadian citizens passing through your building have a full understanding of their legal rights, and possible threats to their future security.
If you would like more information, please contact me directly or visit my website.
Yours sincerely,
Azmairnin Jadavji
Pardon Services Canada
To Whom It May Concern,
There are over three million Canadian citizens that currently have a criminal record. It has come to our attention that many of them do not understand the legalities of their situation. Some Canadians believe that their record will be automatically pardoned after a certain amount of time, as in the United States. This is not true. A criminal record will stay with you for life unless action is taken to expunge it. Conversely, many Canadians believe that their criminal record is permanent, forever hindering them from finding certain types of work, travelling overseas, or seeking adoption or volunteer work. This is also untrue. The majority of criminal records in Canada today are eligible for a pardon. Furthermore, and most dangerously, there are many Canadians that have a criminal record, but are unaware that they have one. Being caught without a record in a foreign country can lead to deportation, detainment, property seizure and worse, and ignorance is not an excuse.
It is important that Canadians know their rights in these matters. A record, in many cases, can be pardoned. Waivers, in many circumstances, can be granted to those who wish to travel to the United States. There are many services available to help people navigate the pardon procedure. Some of these services have been in operation for nearly twenty years.
Please post this on your bulletin board so that Canadian citizens passing through your building have a full understanding of their legal rights, and possible threats to their future security.
If you would like more information, please contact me directly or visit my website.
Yours sincerely,
Azmairnin Jadavji
Pardon Services Canada
Nobody's Business But Yours
A lot of people worry that their employers can find out about an old criminal record. And even if it's clear, they worry about the paper trail.
"Will it say PARDON on my criminal record?"
That won't happen with a reputable pardon services company. Once your record is cleared, charges don't show up, neither do convictions, or even pardon applications.
A criminal record check will turn up NOTHING at all.
However, if an employer does a criminal record check before you have obtained a pardon, they may hold onto that information indefinitely. The National Parole Board does not have juristiction over their "private copies." Therefore, it is best to clear your record before anyone knows.
A criminal record won't go away on its own. But help is available.
"Will it say PARDON on my criminal record?"
That won't happen with a reputable pardon services company. Once your record is cleared, charges don't show up, neither do convictions, or even pardon applications.
A criminal record check will turn up NOTHING at all.
However, if an employer does a criminal record check before you have obtained a pardon, they may hold onto that information indefinitely. The National Parole Board does not have juristiction over their "private copies." Therefore, it is best to clear your record before anyone knows.
A criminal record won't go away on its own. But help is available.
Courthouse Confessions
Steven Hirsch photographs people leaving the courthouse in New York and writes down their stories.
The confessions of his subjects are frank, sometimes sad, and often very human.
Sometimes a criminal record is simply a matter of bad luck.
Courthouse Confessions
The confessions of his subjects are frank, sometimes sad, and often very human.
Sometimes a criminal record is simply a matter of bad luck.
Courthouse Confessions
Crossing the U.S. Border
Did you know that as of June 1st, 2009, you will need a passport to cross the border into the United States? Did you know you currently need one just to fly into or over our southern neighbour?
If you attempt to cross the border with a criminal record you can be detained, imprisoned, and have your property seized.
With a pardon you can have your record cleared. With a waiver you can gain full access with no problems. If you act today, you will be able to have your record cleared for good, allowing you to enjoy the rights and freedoms you lawfully deserve.
Click here to find out more.
If you attempt to cross the border with a criminal record you can be detained, imprisoned, and have your property seized.
With a pardon you can have your record cleared. With a waiver you can gain full access with no problems. If you act today, you will be able to have your record cleared for good, allowing you to enjoy the rights and freedoms you lawfully deserve.
Click here to find out more.
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