Guides

Plain-language answers, every fact linked to its official source. If a free government route fits you better, these guides say so.

• Turned away at the US border? Here's what actually happens next.What a US denial does to future crossings, why a Canadian pardon doesn't fix it, and how the I-192 waiver works — including the two filing channels and their fees.
• Entering Canada with a DUI: what the rules actually say.Since 2018, a DUI can make a US visitor criminally inadmissible to Canada. The three routes back in — TRP, criminal rehabilitation, and deemed rehabilitation — explained plainly.
• Expungement vs. record suspension: they are not the same thing.Expungement permanently destroys a record for a narrow set of historically unjust convictions and is free. A record suspension sets your record aside. Here's which you need.
• Record suspension cost: every fee, itemized.The government fee, fingerprinting, court records, and local police checks — with realistic ranges — versus what firms charge. The full 2026 breakdown.
• Are you eligible for a record suspension?Wait periods by offence type, the clock-start rule, permanent disqualifiers, and the misconceptions that trip people up — with a worked example.
• How long a record suspension really takes.The Parole Board's service standards are only half the story. The pre-filing record-gathering is often the longer half — and incomplete applications reset the clock.
• The real cost of a pardon: the government charges $50.The Parole Board of Canada's filing fee for a record suspension is set by regulation — a fraction of the $600–$1,600 that firms quote. Here's the honest breakdown.
• A Canadian pardon doesn't work at the US border.US authorities keep pre-pardon records and don't recognise Canadian pardons. Here's why you may still need an I-192 — and how to sequence both without wasting money.

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