Crimmigration

Crimmigration – the convergence of criminal and immigration laws – is an important area of the law that affects foreign nationals and Canadian permanent residents. Naturalized citizens with dual citizenship can also be affected. Certain individuals who have committed or been convicted of a crime could see themselves exposed to serious immigration consequences, jeopardizing their status and admissibility to Canada. Immigration measures resembling criminal sanctions, such as detention and deportation, are being used more frequently to deal with suspected criminal activity.

Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a permanent resident or foreign national may be refused entry to or removed from Canada based on security concerns, human or international rights violations, criminality, financial reasons, health grounds, and misrepresentation. Even convictions for minor offences under an Act of Parliament, including guilty pleas, can have a substantial impact on a person’s right of appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division.

Changes brought by the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act can also expose naturalized citizens with dual citizenship, and even Canadian-born citizens with other nationalities, to citizenship revocation proceedings.

It is therefore important to seek legal advice from counsel with expertise in the areas of immigration and criminal law that intersect. With our team’s solid understanding of the interplay between these two areas of the law and our extensive experience with Federal Court proceedings, we are uniquely placed to assist you in overcoming your inadmissibility and all other crimmigration matters. We provide a full range of crimmigration legal services, including:

  • Applications for rehabilitation
  • Temporary resident permits
  • Detention reviews
  • Representation at admissibility hearings
  • Representation before the Federal Court in citizenship revocation proceedings
  • Applications for a stay of deportation or removal
  • Legal opinions on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions
  • Appeals of removal orders
  • Judicial reviews