Criminality & Deportation Impact Checker
Verify exactly how Canadian criminal charges affect your PR card, work permit, or study permit under IRCC Section 36 IRPA rules — with correction and rehabilitation pathways.
Your Situation
IRCC Admissibility Assessment
Select Your Status & Offence
Choose your immigration status and the criminal offence category, then click Check Immigration Impact.
IRPA Section 36 Reference Guide
A permanent resident or foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality if they have been convicted of an offence in Canada punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 10 years, OR convicted of two or more offences not arising out of a single occurrence. This includes DUI (post-2018), murder, sexual assault, drug trafficking, theft over $5k, and fraud over $5k.
Effect on PRs: Under s.46(1)(c.1) IRPA, a PR becomes a foreign national (loses PR status) when a deportation order is made against them for s.36(1) serious criminality.
A foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of criminality if they have been convicted of an offence in Canada punishable by imprisonment, OR convicted of two or more offences not arising from a single occurrence. PRs are NOT subject to s.36(2) — only to s.36(1). Temporary residents (work permit, study permit, visitor) ARE subject to s.36(2) for summary offences.
A person is NOT considered to have been convicted if they received an absolute discharge or completed the conditions of a conditional discharge (s.730 Criminal Code). This is an important exception — if a first-time offender receives a conditional discharge and completes its terms without breach, they are NOT considered inadmissible under IRPA. Always seek this outcome through a criminal defence lawyer for non-serious first offences.
- Criminal Rehabilitation (CR): A PERMANENT solution. Once approved by IRCC, you are no longer inadmissible. Requires 5 years since full sentence completion. Fee: $200 (non-serious) or $1,000 (serious criminality). Processing: 12–18 months.
- Temporary Resident Permit (TRP): A TEMPORARY solution granted for a specific, compelling purpose (business trip, family emergency, medical treatment). Does NOT erase inadmissibility. Expires when the purpose ends. Must re-apply for future entries.
- Deemed Rehabilitation: Previously applied automatically 10 years after a sentence for a single non-serious offence. DUI post-2018 NO LONGER qualifies. Still available for pre-2018 DUI single convictions where 10+ years have passed since sentence completion.