Banned, eh?

Question: An acquaintance is planning a trip to Canada, but he has two convictions for driving under the influence in the last three years, including one last year. I understand that DUI is considered so serious that he won’t be admitted to Canada. Is that true? If so, what can he do to get in?

Marilyn Lowe

Loveland, Colo.

Answer: I have heard recently about people whose indiscretions have followed them to the border and followed them right back home when they got bounced out on their ear by our neighbors to the north, but I wondered whether those were tall travelers’ tales.

They’re not.

“It’s true that people convicted of criminal offenses can be refused admission to Canada,” says Faith St. John, spokeswoman for the Canada Border Services Agency, which is similar to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The Citizenship and Immigration Canada website ( www.cic.gc.ca) spells it out: “Criminal offenses include both minor and serious offenses, such as theft, assault, manslaughter, dangerous driving and driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

And don’t even think about trying to fake your way through the process. St. John says visitors have been subjected to increased scrutiny since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, adding that “officers have asked more questions and have access to more databases.”

Translation: Big Bro probably knows what you did last summer and many summers before that.

If you have a record, you may be a member of what Canada calls an “inadmissible class.” You may someday be able to gain access to the country, but it takes time, paperwork and maybe someone to help navigate the complexities of the Canadian system.

You may be deemed “rehabilitated” if it’s been more than 10 years since you completed your sentence for your offense and you’ve been on the right side of the law since. You also can apply for a rehabilitation permit.

Or you can ask for a temporary resident permit, which allows limited access but can be difficult to get.

Lucy Perillo runs Canada Border Crossing Services, a private Winnipeg-based service that helps people cope with the red tape. She says that getting the permits can take a year or longer but that you need to cross the t’s and dot the i’s. “You’re at the discretion of the [immigration] officer without a permit,” she said. “That’s not the best situation to be in.”

For more information, check with the Canadian consulate; in Los Angeles, that number is (213) 346-2700 and press 2. The Canadian Consulate General Los Angeles’ website is www.losangeles.gc.ca.

Otherwise, you may be singing “No, Canada.”

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