No entry to Canada for visitors with DUI charge?

[desertcruiser]

Hello,

 

I'm leading a group of 21 passengers on a 6-night Radiance of the Seas cruise from San Diego to Vancouver this May. I have just read that any person who has had a DUI charge in the US cannot enter Canada. This is the case for one person in our group. While I have just started to research this myself, I wonder if anyone on this board has any personal knowledge or experience with this issue? This is a potentially serious complication for my group because our cruise terminates in Vancouver so it's not as simple as just staying on the ship in Canadian ports. Any help or info is greatly appreciated!

[Karen H]

I don't know the source of the information you have read, but you could contact the nearest Canadian Embassy in the United States or check with

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/inadmissibility.html there is a link at this government of Canada website about "overcoming a past conviction".

[Coral]

This information is true.

 

Here is some more information:

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html

 

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/inadmissibility.html

 

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/conviction.html

 

There was an article I read recently that our current President had to go through some steps to be cleared for Canada because he had a DUI on his record many years ago.

 

After saying that, I know people who have done cruises with DUIs and have not had problems. There is a potential for problems but these people got off of a cruise ship and on a plane within hours and were never questioned or stopped.

 

On the other hand, my friends drove up to Canada and they were asked at the boarder about any DUIs - with kids in the car, the parents did not lie and the husband admitted to having one 8 years ago. They had to pay a hefty fine to be allowed into Canada (the wife was a Canadian citizen, but had lived in the US for the past 15 years).

[grouchy]

It is up to the Boarder guard.It has happened