If you haven’t heard already the US Department of Homeland Security is adding yet another headache to Canadian travelers, even those who have no intention of stopping on US soil.
The new Secure Flight regulations mean that any flight going over US soil will be subject to homeland security checks. And while they are not specifically looking for your average Canadian with a criminal record the smart money says they will have a lookout for that group anyway.
For quick review any Canadian with an active criminal record attached to his/her name is prevented by law from entering the United States. So what does this mean for travelers who are not entering US soil but are still subject to reviews from American Customs? Well, I have yet to read anything concrete on the matter but I do know that when the border guys are doing their reviews they will certainly be looking at criminal history. And if you have a criminal record (no matter how minor it may be) then the safe money bets that the information will be downloaded into American files where it will remain put forever after. And of course once that happens a US entry waiver is required in order to cross the border into the United States.
This certainly makes travel more difficult for anyone with a criminal record. Not being allowed to enter the United States is one thing. Not being allowed to fly anywhere that might be going over US soil is quite another.
If you have a criminal record please contact us and learn about what you can do to avoid being flagged by American customs for the rest of your life. It is certainly worth a phone call.
And finally the Globe and Mail: