The National Pardon Centre™

The Canadian Passport Office evaluates eligibility for a passport on a case by case basis. At present a criminal record is not sufficient cause to refuse an applicant from receiving a passport. Rumours have circulated for years that this will be changed. However, to date we at National Pardon Centre have never experienced anyone being refused a passport application due to possessing a criminal record.

In an age where information is shared instantaneously it makes little sense to forgo applying for a pardon to remove your criminal record and alleviate yourself of the restrictions to travel and employment you may currently experience.

When it comes to traveling to the United States of America you may be at risk as it is against the law to cross the border with a criminal record. The penalties for attempting to do so may be fines, imprisonment and/or being banned from future entry. The solution to this problem is to secure a pardon or United States entry waiver making your criminal record inaccessible in common searches by the U.S. and Canadian authorities.

If you have a criminal record and are planning to apply for your passport consider applying for a pardon at the same time to remove the restrictions associated with a criminal record. Failing to do so could present serious complications to your life and freedom.

I would like to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous new year for 2012. The past couple of years presented a lot of challenges in the pardon business due to the Conservative government’s assault on criminal justice (this was the phrase of a colleague I could not resist re-using). Although Bill C23-B has not yet passed it is included in the omnibus crime bill that has had the criminal justice community shaking its collective head for some time now.

We expect the crime bill to pass in the next few months and I personally do not have a lot of hope that anything to do with pardons will be amended. I am sure that if the bill passes in its current form we will see a number of charter challenges filed very soon after but I do not know of anyone with the resources or inclination to challenge the pardons section.

So I am sure we can expect pardons to become record suspensions in the next few months. If the bill ended there it would not be so bad since a simple name change doesn’t affect anyone in any real way. Unfortunately the bill contains some very real measures which will make it more difficult and take much longer for people to obtain a pardon. And in some extreme cases a pardon or record suspension will no longer be available at all.

Of course there is still time to make our voices heard. Contact your local MP and express your dissatisfaction with the current government and its stance on crime. There is no shortage of criticism for this bill. But unfortunately the Conservative government is happy to ignore just about all of it.

Happy new year to all!

Michael Ashby

mashby@nationalpardon.org

It takes a lot of time to get a Canadian pardon. And since this is the single most common question asked at the National Pardon Centre it is one that I frequently discuss on this blog.

Everyone wants a pardon done right away but no one gets started on a pardon before it’s really necessary. Why is this? I don’t have an answer I can back up with anyone other than personal opinion.

I think people wait to get a pardon because of human nature. We are good at procrastinating and we are skilled at ignoring the things in our life that we don’t want to deal with. An arrest, and a trip through the court system, is emotional and traumatic. So when it’s done the last thing most people want to think about is the criminal record they now have.  Of course some just forget or don’t care until it’s too late.

Human nature in this sense is understandable but it allows some of my competitors to take advantage of potential clients by promising things that can’t be promised. So here are a few things you should know. Hopefully it will help if you find yourself in a situation where a sales agent is just telling you what you want to hear.

1. Under no circumstances can time frames be guaranteed by a pardon service provider.
 
2. A pardon application involves several steps with each step having the potential for backlog.
 
3. Each step leaves the service provider at the mercy of the government agency handling the request. In other words, the time it takes to complete each step is out of our hands more often than not.
 
4. The Parole Board is backed up as a result of the Conservative’s misguided crime legislation and there is nothing that can be done about this. No service provider can offer you a grandfather clause.
 
5. Anyone guaranteeing you a pardon in a certain number of months is just telling you what you want to hear.

At the National Pardon Centre we provide estimates. We do our best to provide accurate estimates based on current processing times but it is not possible to accurately predict how long every file will take.

If you are concerned about how long a pardon will take the only really good rule of thumb is the age old wisdom most of heard from our parents long ago. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

At the time of writing the National Pardon Centre is quoting 10 – 12 months start to finish for an expedited pardon. I personally consider that time frame an honest estimate but, unfortunately it cannot be guaranteed. I prefer to be honest in this business because a pardon is too important to be giving people false hope.

If you have more questions on time frames or anything else involving pardons, waivers or fingerprinting give us a call at the National Pardon Centre. One thing I can promise is that you are going to speak to an honest counselor who is not just trying to make a sale. That much I guarantee.

Michael Ashby

mashby@nationalpardon.org
866.242.2411 x 227

Finding a job when you have a criminal record holding you back is an uphill battle. More and more employers are requiring background checks making the hunt even harder than before. When a good job offer finally comes your way you want to be sure that nothing stands between you and getting your career on track.

We’ve all made mistakes. Whether you were caught shoplifting, smoking marijuana or was caught up in a bar fight years ago, you now have a criminal record that prevents you from realizing your career potential. Yes, there is a solution to this common problem, a National Pardon.

Applying for a pardon before you become eligible is important. A pardon will seal your criminal record and your past will not be revealed to employers, even during a background check.

Pardon applications are submitted to and approved by the Parole Board of Canada and involve a lot of tedious, intricate paperwork. Meeting your pardon eligibility requirements and processing the necessary paperwork correctly is the key to securing a National Pardon.

Once your pardon is granted your criminal record is removed and kept separate from active criminal records. This means employers will not be able to review your past criminal history.

The National Pardon Centre specializes in securing pardons for our clients. We are experts at completing and filing applications with the Parole Board of Canada to ensure a successful outcome.

Don’t miss out on future employment opportunities. Apply for your pardon today!