2. Learn when you can be forced to leave Canada
Question & Answer
I’m not a Canadian citizen. What happens if I commit a crime in Canada?Whether you're and can be ordered to leave depends on:
- what crime you were involved with, and
- the immigration status that you have.
Step 1 describes the different types of crimes.
Permanent residents and foreign nationals
Permanent residents can be forced to leave Canada only if:
- they‘re of a , or
- the government believes they're involved in organized crimes.
Permanent residents can't be for regular crimes.
A can be deported for regular crimes, serious crimes, and organized crimes.
| Type of crime | Permanent residents | Foreign nationals |
| Regular crimes | Can't be removed from Canada. | Can be removed from Canada. |
| Serious crimes | Can be removed from Canada. | Can be removed from Canada. |
| Organized crimes | Can be removed from Canada. | Can be removed from Canada. |
If you're a and you've been convicted of a serious crime, see I’m a permanent resident convicted of a serious crime. What will happen?
Canadian citizenship
Being convicted of a crime can affect whether you can get Canadian citizenship. In some cases, having a criminal record means that you can't even apply for citizenship.
If you've been convicted of a crime in Canada, get legal help to understand how this might affect your citizenship application.
Convention refugees and protected persons
Under international human rights law, the Canadian government must not deport a or to a place where they could be persecuted. But the government can deport them if they're a danger to Canada. The process for doing this is called a danger opinion.
If you're a protected person or a Convention refugee, you could be deported if you're found inadmissible to Canada:
- for a serious crime, or
- because you're a security threat, were involved in organized crime, or abused human or international rights.
In addition to being found inadmissible, the government must also believe you're a danger to the public or the security of Canada. In that case, you'll receive a notice about a danger opinion sometime after you've been found inadmissible.
Generally, you have 15 days from the day you get a notice about the danger opinion to provide a response.
The danger opinion process is complicated. You should get legal help from an immigration lawyer right away.
