I’m not a Canadian citizen. What happens if I commit a crime in Canada?

You may be inadmissible to Canada and lose your immigration status if:

• you're not a Canadian citizen, and
• you're convicted of a crime in Canada.

You may not be able to stay in the country if you're found inadmissible by Canadian immigration officials.

Most of the time, you need a conviction to be found inadmissible. Usually, being charged with a crime alone does not make you inadmissible. But there are some exceptions, for example, if you've been involved in organized crime.

If any of the following apply, you're not inadmissible:

• your charges were withdrawn or dismissed,
• you got an absolute or conditional discharge,
• you were convicted in a youth court or youth justice court,
• you got a record suspension from the Parole Board of Canada,
• you were charged but not convicted because there was another result, for example, you got a peace bond or were found not criminally responsible

If you’re a permanent resident or foreign national

You might have an admissibility hearing at the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) if:

• you're a permanent resident or a foreign national, and
• you're convicted of a crime in Canada.

Or, an officer from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) may decide about your admissibility without a hearing.

If you’re a Convention refugee

There's an additional process to decide if an inadmissible Convention refugee or protected person can be deported from Canada. This process is called the danger opinion.

If you’re convicted when you’re under 18

If you were convicted of a crime in Canada when you were under the age of 18, you won't be able to stay in Canada if you received an adult sentence.

Get legal help

You should get legal advice about both criminal and immigration law right away if you've been charged or convicted of a crime. Some lawyers have experience with both criminal law and immigration law.

Get legal advice about immigration law. It's important to know how being convicted of a crime can affect your immigration status. A lawyer can tell you about legal options you may have to stay in Canada.

Get legal advice about criminal law. You might be able to appeal your sentence. And you might be able to appeal your conviction if you did not know that:

• you could lose your permanent resident status, and
• be forced to leave Canada.