Pardon
Applications:
NOTES:
·
Before you can apply for a
pardon, a 3-year waiting period is required for summary offences while a 5 year
waiting period is required for indictable offences. If you apply too early, your pardon application will be rejected.
·
You do not need to get a pardon for a criminal record obtained ONLY
while a young offender. However, if you
engaged in criminal activity while an adult or broke probation while an adult
from young offender charges you should contact the RCMP or local Court House
for guidance on whether or not you need a pardon.
·
A detailed explanation of the steps to obtaining a pardon and
frequently asked questions can be found at http://www.johnhoward.ab.ca/PUB/pardons/guide.htm
·
If you wish to travel to the
1. Obtain a National
Parole Board “Pardon Application Guide” for the current year. It is available
online at: http://www.npb-cnlc.gc.ca/pardons/pardon_e.htm
or you can obtain one from the nearest Court House, R.C.M.P. station or John
Howard Society office.
2. Go to the local RCMP
station and ask them to take your fingerprints for a pardon application. Bring identification with you. The Grande Prairie R.C.M.P. charge a fee of
$26.75 payable by cash or debit.
3. Get a money order,
certified check or bank draft for $25.00
You can go to your bank, a postal outlet or a money lender store. Make the money order, certified check or
bank draft payable to: “The Receiver General for Canada”.
4. Mail the fingerprint
sheet and the $25.00 money order, certified cheque or bank draft to:
The Receiver General for
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Civil Fingerprinting Screening Services
K1G 3M8
5. They will send an official copy of your
criminal record to the mailing address written on your fingerprints sheet. This may take a few months. If several months have passed with no
response, you may choose to call them at (613) 998-6362
6. Look over the criminal record sheet. If there is nothing wrong with it, go to
step 7.
If
there are any mistakes in the spelling of your name, you should contact the
R.C.M.P. at the phone number in step 5 to inquire as to how to fix the spelling
mistake. If they cannot correct the mistake,
you may need to contact the court in which you were originally convicted.
If
there are mistakes in the details of the conviction, you will need to contact
the court in which you were originally convicted. They will mail you “Proof of Conviction” with the correct
information on it.
If
convictions are missing (for example, you moved from one province to another
and parts of your record are missing), you will need to get the details on the
missing conviction(s) so that you can be pardoned for it in addition to
whatever is currently on your record.
You will need to contact the court(s) in which you were originally
convicted. They will mail you “Proof of
Conviction” with the correct information on it.
7. If any of your sentences were completed in
the last 5 years you will need to get proof that you completed the
sentence. You will need to fill in a
“Court Information” form and give it to the court where you were convicted. They will fill in the rest of the form. Usually there is no fee for this.
If
you had to pay fines within the last 15 years you will need to get proof that
you paid the fines. You will need to
fill in a “Court Information” form and give it to the court where you were
convicted. They will fill in the rest
of the form. Usually there is no fee
for this.
8. If you were in the Canadian Forces, you will
need to obtain a “Military Conduct Sheet” or provide proof that this document
does not exist. See Pardon Application
Guide for more details.
9. You will need proof that you have not had
additional convictions within the last 5 years. You will need to fill out the “Local Police Records Check” and
give a copy to the police or R.C.M.P. in each place you have lived in the last
5 years (if you have lived in that place for more than 6 months). They will fill in the rest of the form. The Grande Prairie R.C.M.P. charge $40.00 for this. If you lived in another city within the last
5 years, contact the police there by phone and find out what their requirements
are in order to get a local police record check mailed to you.
10. If you were not born in Canada you will need
to provide photocopies of Citizenship or Immigration documents. See Pardon Application Guide for more
details.
11. Fill in the “Pardon Application” form.
12. Get a money
order, certified check or bank draft for $50.00 You can go to your bank, a postal outlet or a money lender
store. Make the money order, certified
check or bank draft payable to: “The Receiver General for Canada”.
13. Photocopy all of documents and keep copies
for yourself in a safe place.
14. Go over the checklist on page 10 in the
Pardon Application Guide. Make sure you
have completed all of the steps that apply to you. Double check your forms to see if are they neatly printed and
completely filled out.
15. Mail all of the necessary materials
(including the $50 processing fee) to:
The Receiver General for
Pardon Section
Clemency and Investigations Division National
Parole Board
K1A 0R1
16. You can call and get an updates on the
status of your application ----phone the National
Parole Board-National Office 1-800-874-2652 (no charge). You must have your personal reference number
on hand. This is the red number that
appears on all of your forms in the top right hand corner.
17. If your address changes, notify them
in writing at the address in step 15.
NOTES:
·
A Waiver of Grounds of Excludability is recommended for anyone
traveling to the
·
For detailed information, call the nearest International Airport
(or border crossing) and ask to speak with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services staff.
·
For emergency travel to the
Before starting
the process you may wish to contact the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services staff at the Edmonton International
Airport (telephone 780-890-4486) or Calgary International Airport (telephone
403-221-1730) to discuss these steps.
1. Go to the local RCMP station and ask them to take your fingerprints for a waiver application. Bring identification with you. The Grande Prairie R.C.M.P. charge a fee of $26.75 payable by cash or debit.
2. Get a money order,
certified check or bank draft for $25.00
You can go to your bank, a postal outlet or a money lender store. Make the money order, certified check or
bank draft payable to: “The Receiver General for Canada”.
3. Mail the fingerprint
sheet and the $25.00 money order, certified cheque or bank draft to:
The Receiver General for
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Civil Fingerprinting Screening Services
K1G 3M8
4. They will send an official copy of your criminal
record to the mailing address written on your fingerprints sheet. This may take a few months. If several months have passed with no
response, you may choose to call them at (613) 998-6362
Fix
any mistakes or omissions on the official criminal record sheet. Refer to Pardon Application section above
(step 6).
5. Obtain the necessary
waiver forms. You can go online at http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm to the section marked “Immigration Forms,
Fees and Fingerprints” then print off forms G-325A (Biographic Information) and I-601 (Application for Waiver
of Ground of Excludability). You will need to fill in 2 copies of each form.
6. Obtain $265 U.S. funds
for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services waiver application
fee. You may get a reasonable exchange
rate for Canadian to U.S. funds at your bank.
The U.S.C.I.S. staff at the Edmonton International Airport prefer
payment in cash.
7. Visit a United States
Citizenship and Immigration Services Office (at an International Airport or
Border Crossing).
The office in Edmonton is located at the Edmonton International
Airport, Departures Level, south end, near Northwest Airlines. They are open from 8 am-4 pm, 7 days per
week. (Their
telephone # is 780-890-4486. )
You will need to give them: $265 U.S.
funds, an official copy of your Canadian criminal record, the fingerprints
sheet (which is probably still stapled to the criminal record), 2 copies of G-325A (Biographic Information) and 2
copies of I-601 (Application for Waiver of Ground of Excludability). Bring identification to show them (example:
Driver’s License, passport, birth certificate …) They will fingerprint you themselves.
Keep a
photocopy of everything for yourself.
8. The FBI does a name
check. Apparently this may take 8-9
months.
9. You will be contacted
by mail with the status of your application.
The Temporary Travel Document (Humanitarian Parole) allows you to
enter the
For more information call the US Citizenship and Immigration
Services. The closest U.S.C.I.S.
offices are at the