Private online eligibility check
Put your record behind you.
Find out whether a pardon, a U.S. entry waiver or permission to enter Canada is within reach. Answer a few questions online and get a written proposal with your timeline, itemized costs and next steps.
- About 3 minutes
- No phone call to start
- No obligation
- Every fee shown
How it works
Three steps, and you stay in charge of each one
Answer a few questions
When your sentence ended, how many convictions, and where you want to go. Use your phone or computer.
See what applies to you
Your results show which process fits, whether you can apply now or from a later date, and why.
Decide what’s next
Review your proposal in your own time. Go ahead, ask questions, or leave it there.
Two pathways
Whichever side of the border you’re on
Pick the situation closest to yours. The check adjusts its questions to match.
For Canadians
Learn more- Pardon / record suspensionSeal a conviction from standard background checks.
- Travel to the United StatesFind out whether your record could stop you at the border.
- U.S. entry waiverApply for permission to enter the U.S. with a record.
- Jobs and background checksSee what an employer check shows and what can change it.
- Not sure yetAnswer a few questions and we’ll point you to the right path.
A private place to start
You don’t have to explain your record to a stranger first
Plenty of people put this off because the first step is a phone call. Here, the first step is a few questions on a screen, and the results are yours to keep.
- Start from your phone, any time
- No phone call needed to begin
- No sales pitch before you see your results
- No obligation to go ahead
- You decide what happens next
For organizations
Work with people who have records?
Give the people you work with a private, plain-spoken place to start. Here’s where the free check tends to help.
Criminal defence lawyers
A resource to give clients once their case is closed and the record questions start.
Trucking and transportation
For drivers and new hires whose record could affect cross-border work.
Travel and tourism
For agents and operators whose clients may be refused at the border.
Staffing and recruitment
Support candidates whose record is the only thing between them and the job.
Immigration practitioners
Refer clients who need a pardon or entry permission alongside their file.
Construction and trades
For employers and unions placing workers who have a record.
Prefer to talk to a person?
Talk to a Senior Advisor
Federal Pardons And Waiver Services
Questions before you start, or after you see your results? Call and ask for extension 826.
Questions
Before you start
Straight answers, with links to the official sources.
Do I have to talk to anyone to get my results?
No. The check is fully online and your results appear on screen as soon as you finish. If you want to talk it through afterwards, an advisor is a phone call away.
Do I need a company to get a pardon?
No. The Parole Board of Canada accepts applications directly and its fee is $50. People use a service because collecting fingerprints, court records and police checks takes time, and mistakes send applications back. The official guide and forms are free if you’d like to do it yourself.
Will a Canadian pardon let me into the United States?
Not by itself. U.S. border officers don’t recognize Canadian record suspensions, so if your record makes you inadmissible you also need a U.S. entry waiver. Many people apply for both at once.
How long does it take?
Gathering documents usually takes the longest. Once the Parole Board accepts an application, its service standard is a decision within 6 months for summary offences and 12 months for indictable ones. Your proposal shows an estimate for your situation.
Who provides the services?
Federal Pardons And Waiver Services (FPWS). A Senior Advisor handles your file from start to finish. This site is not a government website.
Not ready to talk about your record? You don’t have to.
Start with the free check. Your results, your timeline and your costs, on your screen in a few minutes.