The government of Canada has recently made significant changes to certain provisions of the Canadian Criminal Code that can affect all temporary residents as well as persons who carry a permanent resident card. The punishment aspects of the new Impaired Driving laws now include wording wherein someone can be sentenced up to 10 years in jail.
The net effect of this change means that from the Immigration Act and Regulations of Canada context, a conviction for impaired driving or refuse to blow into a breathalyzer is considered an offence of serious criminality. This means that Canada Border Services officers can write a section 44 report for inadmissibility of that person whether they are a temporary resident or even a permanent resident and the consequence can be deportation with no chance of filing an appeal to the Immigration and Refugee Board. It is very important to know and understand the interconnection between criminal law and immigration law. Be Aware and contact our law firm for more information concerning these legal issues.