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Please follow this thread as it moves to the Canada forum where entry into Canada with a history of DUI/DWI arrests/convictions is generally discussed.

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator

I am 99% certain you are all set. I had one in 2009, all punishment completed that year. You and I are considered deemed rehabilitated. They did pass a new law in Dec 2018 where DUIs could no longer be included in that deemed rehabilitated process because it is now considdered a serious offense

HOWEVER, DUIs committed to Dec 2018 are still under the old rule where if 10 years have passed since resolution of offense, then you are considered deemed rehabilitated and can enter. Because yours happened in 2006 and you completed the fines, etc in 2006, it's obviously been 10 years so you should be all set.

You can try calling 506-636-5064 or 204-983-3500 M-F 0800-1600 local time and explain your situation and they should be able to give you an answer.

I called and they said I am fine.

Thanks I did call and they said also I should be good with it being cleared over 10 years.

It's been a while but my boss, in his infinite wisdom, has decided to schedule our team meeting in Vancouver again. Since last time (April, 2018) not much has changed. At the end of January (about a week after trip is scheduled) I will reach Five Years since total completion of sentence - judicial sentence was completed in 2012, but motor vehicle component ended in 2015. I have also gone back and checked out some other forums and see some people have reported having their TRPs approved by consulate.

Given the proximity of the meeting I am thinking there's no time to go the consulate route, so I would have to bring my TRP paperwork and apply at airport, if it comes to that. My boss wants to fly with me and act as a live reference to my character, but I think I've heard stories of fellow travelers getting in trouble for trying to intervene. At this point I feel like skipping the whole thing, but am hoping others may report their experience of applying at the border.

EDIT: I dug out my old paper work and it looks complete. I have documents pertaining to completion of all aspects of sentence, and a clear showing of equivalency between my local and Canadian Statutes for the offence. I was concerned about FBI report, as it showed two additional charges (on from 25 years ago and one that was added to DUI arrest) but did not list dispositions. I obtained a copy of court notes from first incident, which shows case was dismissed and got a letter from Attorney General showing that latter case was never charged, as they declined to prosecute. I think I'm as prepared as possible. (I also found that five years will have elapsed since completion of sentence, prior to trip.)
EDIT
Thanks!

Well I don't know what to think. I got to YVR, scanned my passport and declaration at a kiosk, brought the print out to the exit where two border agents were standing behind little wooden podiums that didn't appear to have computers. One agent looked at the print out from the kiosk, glanced at my passport for less than a second and said "have a nice day." I kept expecting a more thorough examination after collecting my baggage but there was nothing.

So either the kiosk wasn't hooked up any criminal databases, things have changed or all of this has been an Urban Legend. I guess I can use my TRP packet to apply for Rehabilitation just to be sure, but this was a whole lot of work and stress for nothing.

Seeing as how this seems to be one of—if not the best—forums online to talk about this specific situation, I'd like to add a data point of my own for the weary, imperfect American traveler who dares to also fall in love with a Canadian abroad and find themselves hopelessly searching through endless threads of anecdotal evidence:

I had my first (and only) brush with the law with a DUI in the summer of 2018 when I was 19. Mine was a little worse, actually: I crashed my car into the tree of someone's front yard. By all the grace in heaven neither I nor anyone else was hurt at all. It was a wake up call for my life.

I was charged with DUI with property damage, underage possession of alcohol, and marijuana possession; it has irrevocably and forever changed the destiny of my life. I worked—HARD—at putting my life back on track and completing all the punishments I faced as a result of my stupid, selfish, immature crime—6mo. license suspension & ignition interlock, 100+ hours of community service, mandated therapy sessions, probation, court costs, you name it. The entire process was a reckoning of my soul and future. Eventually, I was able to secure gainful employment, got my probation ended early in early 2019 after only 8 months for exceptional behavior, and am about to complete an undergrad degree in CompSci this upcoming spring.

No brushes with the law to this day. I have learned my lesson from my past and I never looked back. I'm 26 this year and a completely different person: one who is trying, day by day, to look back at my younger self with more compassion and more understanding than outright rage and frustration. I accept my past and everything that I've done, and have always strived to become a better person for my family, my neighborhood, my country, and most importantly, myself.

By complete random circumstance I met a girl in London in 2022 while backpacking through Europe, and a few weeks later we decided to start a long distance relationship; we'll have been dating for 2 years this upcoming January.

She lives in Vancouver, and I can't be deemed rehabilitated (not been 10 years since completion of sentence), I do not have a criminal rehabilitation (not eligible until 5 years after completion of last punishment, which in my case technically was the court costs of which I finished paying in the summer of 2020, putting my application off until 2025, to say nothing of a successful visit in 2026 or later), nor a TPR.

What I did manage to do, however, was drive from Seattle to Vancouver for a single day through the land border in late 2023. I drove up to the stop and answered all of the border agent's questions completely honestly: where are you from, why are you here, how did you meet, what are you going to do, etc. And they let me through.

Today I write because I have a flight coming up soon for a stay with her for several weeks, and I have no idea what's going to happen. I'm praying to my lord that I find myself among the lucky ones here who get waved through without a second glance, and will diligently start the legal process perhaps once I'm inside. The uncertainty of this process has been eating me up for weeks and I just needed to vent somewhere; hopefully someone sees themselves in me, and I will report back with how everything went.

Congrats on your turnaround. Have you thought about hiring a reasonably-priced attorney who specializes in temporary entry to Canada?

I certainly have, but sadly the trip is much too soon for the process to have anything but a negative effect on my intention to visit her; I'd feel a bit more comfortable either sorting this out while I'm in there (hopefully) or back here in the States should I not make it in (don't have much of a choice at that point)

Hey, you were lucky the first time. Try it again by car over the long weekend when they are very busy. Airplane stinks as they would have to escort you onto the next flight home and it would be expensive.

I definitely understand that I got lucky, I'm honestly just hoping I can get lucky again; I sadly live a few states away from the border, so another land border drive attempt isn't really feasible.

Instead of risking another cross-border trip by you, is having your girlfriend drive (or take Amtrak) to Bellingham an option? Amtrak takes about two hours; one-way fare is ~ $20 USD. (The drive is about 90 minutes.)

If one gets caught doing this does that disqualify one from future rehabilitation? Would doing this and not getting caught disqualify :confused:ne? They will certainly have a record of these entries.

She actually did come to visit me earlier this year in the States for 2 weeks, but had to go back, as she works an in-person job in Vancouver and has her own apartment.

I on the other hand have a completely remote job, study remotely, and live 2 timezones away from Vancouver, so we just thought it'd make the most sense for me to visit her and stay at her place and enjoy our time together, rather than have her use her precious little PTO more than necessary. I did consider flying to Seattle and taking a shuttle across the border but felt that flying is somewhat less intensive than land crossings for whatever reason. If it doesn't work out, I'll eat the cost to my wallet (and ego) and just come back home to figure out what next.

I guess I'll update you guys on what happens to me.

I know it'll be naught but anecdotal evidence, sure, but it's a salve to ruminating minds in the same position.

Ignorance is bliss. Sorry officer I did something stupid 8 years ago and am completely rehabilitated. I never lied. It’s not like the officer asked me and I lied. I didn’t know I was inadmissible. Thank you for your time. Have a nice day.