Inadmissibility means the law says you cannot enter or remain in Canada. Criminal inadmissibility covers convictions inside or outside Canada, including offences that seem minor at home but are treated as serious criminality here, such as impaired driving. Medical inadmissibility arises when an officer decides a condition is a danger to public health or safety, or would place an excessive demand on health or social services. Inadmissibility can also flow from misrepresentation, a prior removal order, or being out of status. The finding can surface at a port of entry, in a visa refusal, in a procedural fairness letter or through a CBSA report.
The remedy depends on the ground. A Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) allows an otherwise inadmissible person to enter or stay for a specific purpose when the reasons outweigh the risk, and it can be the bridge while a permanent solution is pursued. Criminal rehabilitation removes the inadmissibility permanently once enough time has passed since the sentence was completed, and some people are deemed rehabilitated by the passage of time alone. Medical findings can be answered with specialist evidence and a mitigation plan. Removal orders may be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division or, in some cases, challenged before the Federal Court alongside counsel.
Our consultants hold the RCIC-IRB designation, which authorizes representation before the Immigration and Refugee Board, including the Immigration Division for detention reviews and admissibility hearings and the Immigration Appeal Division for removal order appeals. We are not lawyers. Where a matter proceeds to Federal Court, we work with immigration counsel and remain responsible for the immigration strategy around it.
Who this is for
- Visitors, workers and students refused entry or a visa because of a criminal record, including DUI and other driving offences
- Permanent residence applicants facing a medical inadmissibility finding for excessive demand or public health grounds
- Permanent residents and foreign nationals issued a removal order or reported for inadmissibility by the CBSA
- People detained by the CBSA who need representation at a detention review
- Anyone previously removed from Canada who needs an Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC)
What we do
- Assess the ground of inadmissibility against the equivalent Canadian offence or the specific medical finding
- Prepare Temporary Resident Permit applications with a compelling statement of purpose and risk assessment
- File criminal rehabilitation applications, or confirm deemed rehabilitation, with court records, sentence completion evidence and character references
- Respond to medical inadmissibility with specialist reports, treatment plans and evidence of cost mitigation
- Represent you at Immigration Division admissibility hearings and detention reviews, and at Immigration Appeal Division removal order appeals
- Prepare ARC applications and humanitarian and compassionate submissions where those are the appropriate route
How it works
- 1
Admissibility assessment
We review the conviction, diagnosis, CBSA report or refusal and explain precisely which section of the law applies and what it means for you.
- 2
Route selection
We recommend a TRP, rehabilitation, a medical response, an appeal or a combination, with clear timelines and what each will require from you.
- 3
Application build
We gather court documents, medical evidence, proof of rehabilitation and community ties, and draft the submissions that make your case.
- 4
Filing and representation
We file with the correct office or port of entry, appear with you at any hearing, and manage the file until a decision is made.