Pardon Applications
What Are The Pardon Services At The John Howard Society?
- Helping you through the process of applying to seal your criminal record by obtaining a Canadian Pardon
- A fee of $75 is charged. (A sliding scale is used if income is less than $20,000 per year)
- If receiving Social Assistance, Case Managers may provide assistance with costs
What Are The Costs To The Applicant?
The pardon process requires additional costs to be incurred by the applicant. These include:
- Fingerprinting by either the local police service, RCMP or the Ontario Provincial Police. The cost is between $25 - $30
- Local police records check, $40 fee
- Criminal records check to RCMP Ottawa Canada, $25 fee
- Certificate of conviction from the court, to verify time frame for applying for a pardon, $3.50 fee
- Pardon application processing fee paid to the Receiver General of Canada, $50 fee
Who can apply for a pardon?
Adult Criminal Records
Anyone with a criminal conviction in Canada as an adult 18 years or older after waiting three years on a summary conviction or five years on an indictable conviction following sentence completion.
Youth Criminal Records
Youth charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act who were 12 to 17 years old need not apply for a pardon unless their youth record was maintained due to receiving an adult criminal record. In this case, the waiting period is the same as above; three to five years after all of the sentences have been satisfied.
How Does Our Pardon Service Work?
The fee includes two 30 minute sessions. The first session is to provide the pardon application package and determine if the person meets the time frame eligibility guidelines to apply for a pardon.
If eligible to apply, the person is introduced to the pardon process, including obtaining their fingerprints, local police records check, sending away for their criminal records and directions on obtaining court documents required for the pardon application. Directions are provided on filling out the pardon application form. The person is also made aware of the government costs of each of these steps. (Over and above the JHS fee.)
The second session involves the client returning to JHS with the documentation and the completed pardon application. All information is checked for accuracy prior to being mailed out.
Why Should I Have A Pardon?
Many people have criminal records from years ago and do not realize that they can receive a pardon. Having a pardon is beneficial when applying for employment. An employer is legally able to ask, “Do you have a criminal record, for which you have not received a pardon?” Once successful at getting a pardon, you may answer “no”, which will improve your chances of obtaining any job.
For those unable to cross the border due to a previous record, a United States Waiver needs to be applied for. JHS can assist in this process, which is different than applying for a pardon.
