Often I get calls from people who think that a pardon application is just a matter of filling in a few forms and sending them off to the Parole Board for review. But this is not the case. A pardon application is a lot more involved than that. And here is the proof. Below is the Pardon Application Instructions provided by the National Parole Board. It is rather involved in my opinion. And considering the importance of a pardon it is something that should always be handled by professionals. At the National Pardon Centre your file is in good hands and guaranteed.

Pardon Application Guide

Step-By-Step Instructions

DO YOU NEED HELP?
Call the Helpline :1-800-874-2652

CAN YOU APPLY FOR A PARDON AT THIS TIME?

1. Have you been convicted of a federal offence as an adult?

2. Has it been at least three (3) years since you completed your sentence?

IF you answered “Yes” to both questions then you may be eligible to apply for a Pardon.

Note: “Completed your sentence” means that you have paid all fines, costs, surcharges, and made restitution or compensation, and completed any order of probation, conditional sentence, and incarceration (which includes time on parole and statutory release).

Summary of Pardon Application Steps

IMPORTANT

KEEP A COPY OF ALL YOUR APPLICATION DOCUMENTS FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

STEP 1: Obtain your Criminal Record or a Certification of No Criminal Record from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). See page 2

WAIT FOR A REPLY FROM THE RCMP BEFORE YOU CONTINUE

STEP 2: If you have additional convictions that Do Not appear on your Criminal Record then you must obtain Proof of Convictions for these missing convictions. See page 2

STEP 3: If your sentence was completed less than 5 years ago and/or you had any fines, costs, surcharges, restitution or compensation orders in the past 15 years, then you must obtain your Court Information. See page 3

STEP 4: If you are, or have ever been, a member of the Canadian Forces then obtain a Military Conduct Sheet or written confirmation of its non-existence. See page 4

STEP 5: Obtain Local Police Records Checks for each address where you have resided in the past 5 years. See page 5

STEP 6: If you were born outside of Canada and you are currently living in Canada then provide a copy of your valid Citizenship or Immigration Documents. See page 6

STEP 7: Complete and Sign the Pardon Application Form. See page 7

STEP 8: Obtain the $50.00 Canadian funds fee. Only certified cheques, money orders or bank drafts payable to the Receiver General for Canada will be accepted. See page 8

STEP 9: Send your completed and signed Application Form, with the Fee Payment and ALL documents to:

Clemency and Pardons Division
National Parole Board
410 Laurier Avenue West, 5th Floor
Ottawa ON K1A 0R1

STEP 1 - Obtain Your Criminal Record

A) Contact your local police to have your fingerprints taken.

The Fingerprint form must clearly indicate that you will be applying for a Pardon. A Criminal Record obtained for any reason other than for a pardon will not be accepted.

B) Send your Fingerprint Form and a certified cheque, money order or bank draft for $25.00 CDN, payable to the Receiver General for Canada to:

Civil Fingerprint Screening Services
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
P.O. Box 8885
Ottawa ON K1G 3M8
(613) 998-6362

C) WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR CRIMINAL RECORD BEFORE YOU CONTINUE.

• You may receive a Certification of No Criminal Record. If you do, you may use this instead of a Criminal Record when applying for a Pardon.

D) When you receive your Criminal Record from the RCMP, check it to be sure that all of your convictions appear on the record.

• If all your convictions do appear on the record, go to Step 3 - Obtain Court Information.
• If you have any criminal convictions which do not appear on your Criminal Record, go to Step 2 - Obtain Proof of Conviction.

If the RCMP indicates that you do not have a criminal record, your convictions will not be on the Canada-wide system. Call the National Parole Board for advice on how to proceed at 1-800-874-2652.

STEP 2 - Obtain Proof of Conviction

IMPORTANT

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE THE NATIONAL PAROLE BOARD WITH A RECORD OF ALL CONVICTIONS THAT DO NOT APPEAR ON YOUR CRIMINAL RECORD. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN CONVICTIONS NOT BEING PARDONED OR MAY RESULT IN THE LOSS OF YOUR PARDON.

You must obtain a Proof of Conviction for each conviction you have that does not appear on your Criminal Record.

Contact either the court where the case was heard or the police service that arrested you and request that they provide you with a Proof of Conviction.

Your Proof of Conviction must include:

• the date and court where you were sentenced
• the offence for which you were convicted
• the sentence you received

If neither the court nor the arresting police service has a record of your conviction, obtain this fact in writing and contact the National Parole Board for assistance at 1-800-874-2652.

Note: The police and court may charge a fee for this service.

STEP 3 - Obtain Court Information

COURT INFORMATION FORM

Question Clarifications

Clarification for Question 2

Have You Used Any Other Names?
If you have ever used, or been known by any other name (such as birth name, legal name change, married name or alias), check YES and write all the names you have used. Attach a list if more space is needed. If you have never used, or been known by, any other name, check NO and proceed to Question 3.

Pease Do Not Write in the
FOR COURT USE ONLY
Section of this form

If any of your sentences were completed less than 5 years ago and/or you had fines, costs, surcharges, restitution or compensation orders in the past 15 years, then you must obtain Court Information for each of these sentences. If you were sentenced in more than one court, you will have to contact each court separately for your court information. You may need more than one copy of this form, so please make copies before filling it out.

A) Fill out Section A and Section B of the Court Information form provided on the next page.

B) Contact the court where the case was heard. Provi de them with a copy of your Criminal Record and request that they complete the For Court Use Only section of the Court Information form.

• If the court has a record of a conviction that does not appear on your Criminal Record, request that they provide you with a Proof of Conviction. Go to Step 2 - Obtain Proof of Conviction.
• The court must sign and include their official seal or stamp on the form. If the Court does not sign and include their official seal or stamp, your application will not be accepted.

Note: You are only eligible to apply for a Pardon if it has been 3 years since you completed all of your sentences for Summary Convictions, or 5 years since you completed all your sentences for Indictable Convictions. “Completed your sentence” means that you have paid all fines, costs, surcharges, and made restitution or compensation, and completed any order of probation, conditional sentence, and incarceration (which includes time on parole and statutory release).

If the court indicates that your conviction was tried as an Indictable Offence and it has not been five (5) years since you completed your sentence, then your application cannot be processed at this time.

STEP 4 - Obtain Military Conduct Sheet

IMPORTANT

Your request for your Military Conduct Sheet must include the following:

• Family name and given name(s);
• Name used at the time of service, if different;
• Date of birth;
• Military ID / Service number;
• Reason for the request (a pardon application);
• Your signature.

If you have never been a member of the Canadian Forces then go to to STEP 5 - Obtain Local Police Records.

IMPORTANT: You must include all correspondence from your Commanding Officer, National Defence or National Archives with your Pardon Application.

Present Member of the Regular or Reserve Forces

• Request a certified, signed and dated copy of your Military Conduct Sheet from your Commanding Officer.
• If you have no Military Conduct Sheet then provide a letter from your Commanding Officer confirming this.

Former Member of the Regular Forces

• If you left the Regular Force within the past 5 years, request a copy of your Military Conduct Sheet, or proof that this document does not exist from:

DMCARM 4
101 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0K2

• If you left the Regular Force more than 5 years ago, request a copy of your Military Conduct Sheet, or proof that this document does not exist from:

Personnel Records Unit
National Archives of Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0N3

Former Member of the Reserve Forces

• If you left the Reserve Forces within the past 3 years, request a certified, signed and dated copy of your Military Conduct Sheet, or proof that this document does not exist, from the Commanding Officer of your last posting or unit.
• If you left the Reserve Forces more than 3 years ago, request a copy of your Military Conduct Sheet, or proof that this document does not exist from the Personnel Records Unit at the National Archives at the address listed above.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE A CURRENT MEMBER OF THE MILITARY THEN A MILITARY CONDUCT SHEET OR LETTER FROM YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER IS ONLY VALID FOR SIX MONTHS FROM THE DATE IT IS ISSUED.

STEP 5 - Obtain Local Police Record

LOCAL POLICE RECORDS CHECK FORM

Question Clarifications

Clarification for Question 2

Have You Used Any Other Names?

If you have ever used, or been known by any other name (such as birth name, legal name change, married name or alias), check YES and write all the names you have used. Attach a list if more space is needed. If you have never used, or been known by, any other name, check NO and proceed to Question 3.

Clarification for Question 8

What Local Addresses Have You Lived at in the past 5 Years?

Write the address for each place you have lived in the past five (5) years, including when you lived at that address (From what year and month To what year and month). If you require more space please attach a list of additional addresses. Be sure to include your current address.

Clarification for Question 9

You must read the authorization and sign and date the form.

Please Do Not Write in the FOR POLICE USE ONLY Section of this form

You must have a separate Local Police Records Check for where you currently live and for each address you have lived at for 6 months or more in the past 5 years. You may need more than one copy of this form, so please make copies as required before filling it out.

A) Fill out Section A, Section B and Section C of the Local Police Records Check form provided on the next page.

B) Contact the local police service for each address you have lived at in the past 5 years. Provide them with a copy of your Criminal Record and request that they complete the For Police Use Only section of the Local Police Records Check form.

• If you are not sure which police service has jurisdiction over where you live, contact the nearest police service and inquire.
• You must show a current photo ID and one other piece of identification when requesting this check in person. If mailing your Local Police Records Check form to the police, we suggest you contact them first to ask if a photocopy of your identification is acceptable.
• The police must sign, date and include their official seal or stamp on the form. If the police do not sign and include their official seal or stamp, your application will not be accepted.
• The police may charge a fee for this service.

If you live or have lived outside Canada within the past five years for a period of more than six months then you must obtain a local police check from the police service that has jurisdiction. If the local police that has jurisdiction in that area cannot or will not complete the Local Police Records Check form, we will accept a signed letter from them stating that you have been of good conduct.

IMPORTANT

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE A RECORD OF ALL NAMES YOU HAVE BEEN KNOWN BY AND LOCAL POLICE RECORDS CHECKS FOR EACH ADDRESS YOU HAVE LIVED AT IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN YOUR APPLICATION BEING RETURNED.

PLEASE NOTE: A LOCAL POLICE RECORD CHECK IS ONLY VALID FOR SIX MONTHS FROM THE DATE IT IS ISSUED.

STEP 6 - Provide Citizenship or Immigration Documents

IMPORTANT

EXPIRED DOCUMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED

IF YOUR IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS EXPIRE WHILE YOUR PARDON APPLICATION IS BEING PROCESSED, YOU MUST PROVIDE THE NATIONAL PAROLE BOARD WITH AN UPDATED COPY.

FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN THE PROCESSING OF YOUR APPLICATION BEING DELAYED.

If you were born in Canada or you are not currently living in Canada, go to to STEP 7 - Complete the Pardon Application Form.

If you were born outside of Canada and you are currently living in Canada, then you must provide a copy of your official and valid Immigration documentation.

If you are in Canada with no immigration status, (i.e. your admission to Canada is dependant upon receiving a pardon) you must provide a copy of official documentation confirming this.

STEP 7 - Complete the Pardon Application Form

• You must use the Pardon Application form provided on the next page.
• Complete all Sections on both pages of the application form.
• Print in block letters using blue or black ink.
• Read the authorization on page 2 of the Pardon Application form. Sign and date the application. Please note that the Pardon Application must be signed by the applicant only.

IMPORTANT

Answer all questions. Incomplete applications will not be processed and will be returned to you.

KEEP a copy of your application and all documentation for your reference.

MAKE A NOTE of the Pardon Application Reference Number. The Pardon Application Reference Number is found in the upper right-hand corner of the Pardon Application form. This number is required when contacting the National Parole Board about your pardon application.

PARDON APPLICATION FORM

Page 1 Question Clarifications

Clarification for Question 2

Have You Used Any Other Names?

If you have ever used, or been known by any other name (such as birth name, legal name change, married name or alias), check YES and write all the names you have used. Attach a list if more space is needed. If you have never used, or been known by any other name, check NO and proceed to Question 3.

Clarification for Question 5

Were You Born in Canada?

If you were born in Canada, check YES and skip to Question 6. If you were not born in Canada check NO. If you were not born in Canada, and you are currently living in Canada you must provide a copy of a valid Immigration or Citizenship document. Expired documents are not accepted. If your document is due to expire within 6 months of applying for your pardon you must provide the National Parole Board with an updated copy as soon as you receive it. See STEP 6 for more details.

Clarification for Question 8

What is Your Mailing Address or the Address of Your Representative?

Write the address where you want the National Parole Board to send all correspondence. This can be your home address or the address of a Representative if you have chosen to have one.

Clarification for Question 10

What Addresses Have You Lived at in the Past 5 Years?

Write the address for each place you have lived in the past five (5) years, including when you lived at that address (From what year and month To what year and month). If you require more space please attach a list of additional addresses. Include your current address as well.

You Must Complete Both Sides of the Application Form

PLEASE NOTE: A PARDON APPLICATION FORM IS ONLY VALID FOR ONE YEAR FROM THE DATE IT IS SIGNED BY THE APPLICANT.

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS?

Please keep us informed of your new mailing address. Send a letter with your name, your Pardon Application Reference Number and the new address to the National Parole Board. The change of address letter must be signed by the applicant only.

Clemency and Pardons Division
National Parole Board
410 Laurier Avenue West, 5th Floor
Ottawa ON K1A 0R1

IMPORTANT

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE COMPLETE AND TRUTHFUL ANSWERS TO ALL QUESTIONS IN THIS APPLICATION.

ANY FALSE OR MISLEADING STATEMENTS AND/OR THE WITHHOLDING OF ANY INFORMATION MAY RESULT IN YOUR APPLICATION BEING DISCONTINUED OR THE LOSS OF YOUR PARDON AT A LATER DATE.

PARDON APPLICATION FORM

Page 2 Question Clarifications

12. Can We Speak with Someone Else About Your Application?

• If there is someone else we can speak to about your application, such as a family member or friend, check YES and write the name of this person and their telephone number.

Section D. Military Service Information

13. Have You Ever Been a Member of the Canadian Forces?

• If you have never been a member of the Canadian Forces, check NO.
• If you are a current member (either Regular or Reserve), check YES - CURRENT and write your Military ID or Service Number and the name and address of your unit. We may contact your Commanding Officer.
• If you are a former member (either Regular or Reserve), check YES - FORMER.

Section E. Additional Conviction Information

14. Do You Have Any Convictions that Do Not Appear on Your Criminal Record?

• If you have no convictions other than those on the Criminal Record that you obtained from the RCMP, check NO and complete Section F - Authorization.
• If you have additional convictions, you must check YES and for each conviction, write the offence for which you were convicted, the number of counts for which you were convicted, the name of the arresting police service, the sentence you received, the date you were sentenced, and the name and address of the court where you were sentenced (street address, city and province).

Section F. Authorization Information

• You must read the authorization and sign and date the form. Please note that the application must be signed by the applicant only.

STEP 8 - Obtain the $50 Processing Fee

Be sure to include the $50.00 processing fee with your application, payable to the Receiver General for Canada. It must be in the form of a certified cheque, money order or bank draft. A personal cheque will not be accepted.

STEP 9 - Send Your Application

• Take note of the personal reference number located in the upper right-hand corner of your application form. If you need to contact the National Parole Board for any reason, you must provide your reference number to obtain information.
• Be sure to keep a copy of all your application documents.
• Send your completed, signed application form, along with the fee and all documents to:

Clemency and Pardons Division
National Parole Board
410 Laurier Avenue West, 5th Floor
Ottawa ON K1A 0R1

APPLICATION CHECK LIST

IMPORTANT

IF YOU DO NOT PROVIDE THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION AND CORRECT FEE, YOUR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE PROCESSED AND WILL BE RETURNED.

Make sure that you have all the required documents.

• → Criminal Record from the RCMP.
• → Proof of Conviction Documents (if you have convictions that are not on your Criminal Record from the RCMP).
• → Court Information form (if you have any payment order within the past 15 years AND/OR if your sentence was completed less than 5 years ago).
• → Military Conduct Sheet (if you are, or have been, a member of the Canadian Forces).
• → Local Police Records Check(s).
• → Citizenship or Immigration Documents (if you were not born in Canada, and are now living in Canada) Both pages of the Pardon Application form completed, signed and dated by the applicant only.
• → The $50 CDN Fee (ONLY certified cheque, money order or bank draft, payable to Receiver General for Canada).

Every day I come across criminal records for minor drug offences and every time I see one I can’t help but think about what a waste of resources and common sense it must have been to prosecute the offender. That being said I want to make it perfectly clear that I do not condone drug use. But the war on drugs is the most obviously failed social policy in recent memory.

The following youtube clip is of Judge Jim Grey explaining very succinctly why the war on drugs has to end. Of course this is an American judge but anyone who doesn’t think Canadian drug policy is based on American drug policy is kidding themselves. The war on drugs has to end. Here’s why:

If you haven’t heard already the US Department of Homeland Security is adding yet another headache to Canadian travelers, even those who have no intention of stopping on US soil.

The new Secure Flight regulations mean that any flight going over US soil will be subject to homeland security checks. And while they are not specifically looking for your average Canadian with a criminal record the smart money says they will have a lookout for that group anyway.

For quick review any Canadian with an active criminal record attached to his/her name is prevented by law from entering the United States. So what does this mean for travelers who are not entering US soil but are still subject to reviews from American Customs? Well, I have yet to read anything concrete on the matter but I do know that when the border guys are doing their reviews they will certainly be looking at criminal history. And if you have a criminal record (no matter how minor it may be) then the safe money bets that the information will be downloaded into American files where it will remain put forever after. And of course once that happens a US entry waiver is required in order to cross the border into the United States.

This certainly makes travel more difficult for anyone with a criminal record. Not being allowed to enter the United States is one thing. Not being allowed to fly anywhere that might be going over US soil is quite another.

If you have a criminal record please contact us and learn about what you can do to avoid being flagged by American customs for the rest of your life. It is certainly worth a phone call.

 For more information here are a few news sources covering the topic:

The Gazette

Ottawa Citizen

And finally the Globe and Mail:

 

For some reason the BBB does not allow a company to have one accreditation for multiple locations. Instead we need individual accreditations that apply specifically to each office location, even though it is one company. This is fine it just means that I have to have another blog entry linking to the specific BBB page.

Here you are then: the BBB west profile for National Pardon Centre.

Sometimes these little community databases are a great source of advertising for us. You wouldn’t think so but this page ranks pretty high in Google and we have had more than a few clients call and say they found our information here.

So in the interest of acknowledging that local community resources play a big role in community well-being I am linking to this page as an unofficial thank you.

Thanks to KFL&A Community Resource Database for helping spread the word on Canada’s pardon program and the National Pardon Centre.

If you have been following this blog you might be aware that I held a little competition recently written in a post called Letter Blogging: Time Frames for a Pardon. I honestly didn’t expect that the competition would be won so soon mostly because I didn’t think that the blog was read as much as it seems to be. But within a week the competition was won and Louis earned himself a pardon at half price.

So, congratulations Louis. Obviously I am not going to include your full name because any sensible person would not want that information published. And since I am still not in the business of slandering my competition I am not naming the company in question (which may be a perfectly fine pardon service for all I know). But I am very happy to know that at least a few people are reading this blog.

Sincerely,

Michael Ashby
Communications Director
http://www.nationalpardon.org/

One of my competitors has a blog that I watch from time to time. And I find it amusing because every blog entry reads like this:

“Here is a letter from a happy client who loves us…”

And then the entry continues with a letter congratulating the company on its excellence. It is not for me to decide whether or not the letter is a fake. And I am also not in the business of disgracing my competition which is why I have not named names. But…I am willing to do a pardon or waiver for half price to the first person who actually reads this blog AND discovers the competitor I am referring to. Send your answers to info@nationalpardon.org I would be very happy if someone actually managed to do this.  

In the meantime I thought it would be fun to turn things around. So, in the interest of blog entries that are nothing more than letters from one person to another here is a letter I sent to an actual person who asked me how long the pardon procedure takes to complete. I guarantee it is 100% authentic.

 

Hi Albert,

Our expedited service is only applicable as far as the work done in our office in concerned. Once the file is sent to the Parole Board it is out of our hands. That being said we are seeing our expedited files finished within 2- 8 months right now (that estimate includes time at the National Parole Board). Of course there are always exceptions since we are dealing with the government, which is why we cannot guarantee this time but that is honestly the average response we expect at the moment.

You should also be aware that expedited services are only available if the client is currently eligible or if he/she will be eligible very soon. We have no way of getting around the probationary periods imposed by the Parole Board.

As for emergency pardons there are some situations that warrant special treatment by the Parole Board. The work on our side does not change but if we can provide proof of emergency status then the response time from the Parole Board can be shortened. However, work is not a valid reason because work is the number one reason people finally get around to obtaining a pardon. Unfortunately, our clients tend to wait until the criminal record is adversely affecting something in their life before realizing the importance of the application.

I hope that information helps. Please let me know if you have further questions or if you would like to get a file started.

Kind regards,

Michael Ashby

(514) 842-2411 x 227
http://www.nationalpardon.org/

 

It has been a long time since we were covered extensively in the Media. Since we opened our doors in 2002 we have been featured and/or quoted in everything from the Globe and Mail to La Journal de Montreal, and quite a few in between.

Two of my favourite articles appeared in a little weekly, English language paper here in Montreal, The Montreal Mirror. The paper covered two stories. One was the business in pardons in General and another was the story of a local Montreal business by the name of Pierre Charade.

Pierre is a producer for RDS, which is the French language sports channel. And since meeting Mr. Charade back in 2002 we have stayed in touch and I have advertised on his programs regularly. It is been a positive working relationship. And I like to think that part of what we do here at the National Pardon Centre is build working relationships. In other words, we help our clients get their lives back on the right track. And every once in awhile a client surprises us and helps us out in one way or another.

So if you are interested here is the article on the National Pardon Centre in General.

And here is the article about Mr. Charade’s adventures at the US Border.

As always, if you have any questions just give me a shout. I can be reached by email or phone most of the business day.

Sincerely,

Michael Ashby

mashby@nationalpardon.org
514.842.2411 x 227

It has been a long time since we won our information technology award from CIPA. Since then we haven’t stopped working hard to be the best pardon and waiver service in Canada. But since that award was granted the National Pardon Centre has certainly not been stagnant, especially not in the area of technological innovation.

We achieved RCMP accreditation making us one of the only pardon and waiver services able to offer this crucial step in the process. We have also invested in a new VOIP phone system to better handle calls between our offices.

Essentially we have done everything possible to ensure that we are at the forefront of any technology that help us better serve our clients. But I am also happy to say that we don’t jump on a band wagon just because the band is playing loudly. You will see that we are NOT on twitter; not because we dislike twitter but because there is nothing in the day to day business of doing pardons that needs to be “tweeted” (did I say that right?). Twitter is great, or can be I’m told but it is not for us. We would rather focus our energies on doing what we do best: Canadian pardons and US entry waivers. That’s what we do and we do it very well.

So give us a call if you need help. We would be happy to clear things up for you.

Every single day I come to work I can be guaranteed to hear a horror story from someone who experienced unpleasant behaviour from a United States Border Guard. This is not to suggest that they are all bad because considering the number of people crossing the border and the number of border guards there to handle the volume of traffic, obviously most of them are decent, intelligent people capable to handling their job competently and with manners intact. However, that being said I still hear stories everyday of people being mistreated at the border. This is why I couldn’t resist reposting this cartoon from the Globe and Mail today. If you have had a similar experience at the border I think you will appreciate it. And if you have been to an airport in the last ten years I think you will appreciate it even more.