If you are currently eligible for a pardon (or soon will be) the average turn-around time is 12 months. However, in some cases it can be done as quickly as 6 months or less. In cases involving indictable offences or complicated extensive criminal records, it can take up to 24 months or more. Please keep in mind that no one has any control over the processing speed of the government agencies involved.
More information:
https://nationalpardon.org/pardon-eligibility/
http://pbc-clcc.gc.ca/infocntr/factsh/pardon-eng.shtml#_16
NEWS
The Liberal government has recently announced that it will be addressing the problems created by the Conservative government. Although no specific changes have been announced word on the street is that the government intends to address the backlog first (almost 5000 cases from 2011 remain unprocessed) and then it will look at fixing the record suspension program.
Further reading:
https://nationalpardon.org/liberal-victory-what-it-mean-for-pardons-in-canada/
https://nationalpardon.org/parole-board-of-canada-and-the-pardon-backlog/
Pardons Canada – Time Frames Start to Finish
There are many steps involved in processing a pardon and each takes a certain amount of time to complete. To let’s look at the required time it takes to get a pardon so that we can better understand the reasons for the delays / time frames.
Fingerprinting for a pardon
Fingerprinting is the first step in processing a pardon. It can take up to 120 days to receive the certification results of your fingerprinting request to the RCMP.
For more information:
Court Requests
For most pardon applications you will need to include various court documents. Requests can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 10 months in a worst case scenario.
Local Police Records Check
Applicants for a pardon must provide a local police records check processed at the police station in the area where they live. Requests can take anywhere
File Preparation
Once all the documents have been gathered file preparation should be relatively quick. However, it should not be rushed since mistakes can be costly. You do not want to go through all the steps involved in gathering the required paperwork only to have the Parole Board return your application due to mistakes or incomplete file preparation.
Further thoughts on how long it takes to get a pardon
People tend to procrastinate, particularly when it comes to apply for a pardon. Human nature in this sense is understandable but it allows some of my competitors to take advantage of potential clients by promising things that can’t be promised. In order to avoid being misled here are a few things you should know before starting the process. Hopefully it will help if you find yourself in a situation where a sales agent is just telling you what you want to hear.
- Under no circumstances can time frames be guaranteed.
- A pardon application involves several steps with each step having the potential for backlog.
- Each step leaves you at the mercy of the government agency handling the request. In other words, the time it takes to complete each step is out of your hands more often than not.
At the National Pardon Centre we provide estimates. We do our best to provide accurate estimates based on current processing times but it is not possible to accurately predict how long every file will take.
If you are concerned about how long it takes to get a pardon use common sense. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If you have more questions on time frames or anything else involving pardons, waivers or fingerprinting give us a call at the National Pardon Centre. One thing I can promise is that you are going to speak to an honest counselor who is not just trying to make a sale. That much I guarantee.
Michael Ashby
mashby@nationalpardon.org
866.242.2411 x 227