Minnesota Criminal Record Expungement

By Olga Sattarova

If you are planning to travel to Canada in the near future and your criminal record is less than flawless, you should be prepared to answer questions at the border. In the aftermath of 9/11, Canadian border officials have become stringent about whom they let cross the border. Before 9/11, individuals entering Canada from the United States only needed to show either a U.S. Passport or other proof of U.S. citizenship. Now people crossing the border are subject to criminal background checks.

If you have a trial under way, or there is a warrant for your arrest, or you have charges pending against you, you are considered criminally inadmissible. If you have been convicted of minor offenses (including assault, dangerous driving, DUI, theft, shoplifting, unauthorized possession of firearms, possession of illegal substances, etc.) or indictable criminal offenses (including assault with a deadly weapon, manslaughter, etc.) you prohibited from. Further action is required to find out whether you will be allowed entrance.

The first thing you should do is clear your criminal record to the fullest extent possible before submitting to a background check. The Canadian government has entered into and information sharing agreement with the United States; so whatever the Canadian government will have whatever information the United States has. The options for clearing your record vary greatly by state. Almost all states allow you to seal the record of arrests that did not lead to convictions. Many states also allow you to seal, vacate, set-aside or expunge the record of misdemeanor and felony criminal convictions. The benefit of this will range from keeping Canadian officials from knowing anything at all about the criminal incident to showing that the matter was resolved and no longer considered a conviction— either way, record clearing will improve the odds of not being denied entry to Canada or being stuck at the border for lengthy interrogation.