Thousands of foreigners’ criminal convictions forgiven by Ottawa over 11-year span, raising transparency concerns
2025/07/03 2 Comments
Rempel Garner and Kurland correct to call for more transparency:
More than 17,500 foreigners have had their criminal convictions forgiven by the Immigration Department over the past 11 years, removing a bar to coming to Canada, federal government figures show. The disclosure has raised transparency concerns about the type of offences they committed.
Foreigners are, in general, inadmissible to Canada if they have been convicted of an act that is considered a criminal offence in this country. But Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has the power to grant an exception if five years have elapsed since a person was convicted or finished a sentence.
Government figures show that in the 11 years up to and including 2024, 17,600 people convicted of criminal offences abroad were considered “rehabilitated” by IRCC. This meant they were able to apply to enter Canada, including through work and study visas, as permanent residents or visitors.
IRCC has not, however, released a breakdown of the kind of criminal offences that were forgiven. It said in a statement to The Globe and Mail that the Immigration Minister would be involved in decisions relating to the most serious offences. …
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Multicultural Meanderings 
i wonder how many of those prosecutions are considered politically motivated. Forgiving those seems like good policy.
Agree. But the lack of transparency on the different cases, even at a high level, creates misleading headlines and political opportunism.