Can I Enter USA with a Criminal Past If I Do Not Tell Them?

You should never lie when attempting to cross the border into the United States of America! If a person is found to have misrepresented their criminal record when they enter the USA, their prospects for being allowed back into the country again will not be very good. An American border agent will often ban a Canadian on the spot for as long as five years for lying about their criminal past, and their decision is always final with no chance of an appeal.

Not only is lying to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) a stupid thing to do, it is rarely effective since border officials have full access to Canadian criminal databases. When you hand over your Canadian passport at the border, the agent will be made aware of any criminal history you have ever had as soon as they scan it into their computer. Once this happens, if you are inadmissible because of a past arrest or conviction and do not have a valid US Waiver you will be quickly denied entry in most cases. If you lied to border authorities during the interview process, not only will you been rejected at the border but you will also very likely be banned from the United States for the foreseeable future. Do not ever underestimate how much the US Border knows about you. In Nov 2013 the CBC wrote a news story about a woman who was told by US customs officials at Pearson Airport that because of her history of mental illness she could not enter the United States to go on a Caribbean cruise (she suffered from clinical depression and had previously attempted to commit suicide).

In addition to misrepresenting yourself at the border, another foolish thing that some Canadians do after being turned away at the border is to attempt to enter the US again only at a different point of entry this time. This has absolutely no chance of working since every port of entry has access to a centralized database that would instantly inform them that an individual was denied admission into the United States previously. If CBP agents believe you are trying to circumvent the system to gain illegal entry you risk further jeopardizing your capability to travel south of the border ever again.

Attempting to get into the USA by not disclosing your criminal record is without a doubt a terrible idea. Instead of risking your future ability to visit the US by making false statements to immigration authorities, call us now or fill out our contact form to learn how to visit the United States legally. Our team of admissibility experts offer free consultations and can discuss your options so that you can travel to the US without getting into trouble for failing to disclose past crimes.