A Problem Has Come Up

The post I discussed previously is still in the works. My work schedule has been more hectic than I expected, and the holidays also interfered. It is nearing completion, but that post is quite lengthy and has a fair bit of evidence involved, so it will take a little more time.

However, as I will be mentioning in that work-in-progress post, I want to catalog on this blog whenever there is an issue involving the felony. While I have already mentioned something big falling through for me recently thanks to the felony, I now have another potential problem coming up.

I was asked by my boss if I have a passport. I have not bothered to get one so the answer was no. I have spent years just trying to rebuild my life after what happened, so I've not had the ability to travel overseas. His response was that I need to go ahead and apply for one and the company will pay for the expedited process. There are two places I could be sent to for meetings with some of our sister companies who are working on projects shared with our company, one possibility is the UK and the other is Canada.

Either of those two are equally possible, and any one of them can present a problem - especially Canada. International travel can be problematic for someone with a felony charge, though it is dependent on the country you are attempting to enter. From the information obtained so far, if I'm visiting the country for less than 90 days I don't have to apply for a visa. Not applying for the visa means not going through a background check. However, this comes with a warning:

"Any country who knows that you have a conviction when entering the country may deny you entry, on a visa waiver as a tourist, depending upon the discretion of the border agent."

This was from an attorney. Even though I don't have to go through a background check if I'm under the 90 days, if for any reason they discovered the criminal charge I could be denied entry into the country. This would be an unexpected hit financially, as I'd end up having to pay expenses not only to fly there, but to immediately book a flight back home (I have doubts my company would be willing to cover both trips if I'm denied). It would also loudly announce an issue with my criminal record to my coworkers. It wouldn't get me fired, but it is far from being a good thing.

Is it likely they would find out about the charge? Probably low risk of them finding out, though anything is possible. If I have to apply for a visa due to an extended stay however (a possibility for UK), then I've got a big problem because they will then know about the felony. For the UK, I haven't passed the 10 year point on the release from probation, so I would not be considered "rehabilitated" - making denial of the visa possible. I would imagine getting denied a visa means I end up in a database, and thus attempting to enter the country again even under the 90 day limit would carry increased risk of being denied entry.

When it comes to Canada, I have a very big problem. Canada has access to the USA's DMV and criminal records, meaning the border agent will have access to my criminal record. Canada is extremely strict on barring entry from people in the US with certain convictions - especially felons. I have not hit the 10 year period from the ending of my probation period, so as of right now I would be denied entry into Canada. That is going to be very problematic if I'm being sent there.

There is a process in Canada where you can apply for what is called "Individual Rehabilitation". Should you be approved, it is permanent and you'll never again have to worry about denial of entry into Canada so long as you don't receive further charges. The problem is that you have to give at least six months for the process to go through - I'll have to travel well before that time period. In addition, it isn't guaranteed I'll get approved. There is also another process but it requires the services of a lawyer, something I can't afford to do right now, and it is temporary rather than the individual rehabilitation's permanency.

I'll find out in the coming weeks where I'll be headed, and I'll just have to see what happens. If I'm sent to the UK, perhaps I'll be okay although there is always that risk of getting denied entry. Even if it turns out to be a UK trip and everything works out, that doesn't change the fact that this is something else that is helping to escalate this dispute even further. The mere fact that I'm even having to deal with something like this years after being threatened into a false felony conviction isn't something I'm going to forget about.