Visiting Canada for the FIFA world cup? What to know if you have a criminal record
If you plan to visit Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, you may be turned away if you have a criminal record.
If you’re not a Canadian citizen, any criminal history—recent or old, resolved or pending—can make you criminally inadmissible to Canada.
For World Cup fans, this can mean months, or even years, of wasted planning.
But there are steps that you can take to ensure your travel plans go through smoothly and you are able to enter Canada without issues.
Schedule a Free Inadmissibility Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm
This article will cover
Reasons that you can be found criminally inadmissible;
Understanding how immigration officials determine criminal inadmissibility; and
Options to overcome criminal inadmissibility.
You can be found criminally inadmissible for both minor and serious crimes
If you committed an offence that was considered a crime in the jurisdiction in which it took place, and if this offence corresponded to a similar offence in Canada at the time it was committed, you are at risk of being criminally inadmissible to Canada.
This applies if you:
Committed an offence (even if you weren’t formally charged or convicted);
Were charged with an offence (even if you weren’t prosecuted or convicted);
Have pending charges for an offence (regardless of whether you committed the offence or not); or
Have been convicted of an offence.
Some common examples of crimes that can lead to inadmissibility include:
Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
Theft;
Assault;
Dangerous driving; or
Possession of or trafficking in drugs or controlled substances.
Even if you have already completed your sentence in its entirety, Canada’s rules examine how your offence equates to those committed under Canadian law and how your entry may affect public health and safety.
That means committing what may be considered a minor offence by law where you live may still cause problems at the Canadian border.
We can use the following example to illustrate this:
David is a US citizen who was convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) in the US four years ago, and it was deemed a misdemeanor. His sentence included a fine, a one-year driver’s licence suspension, and mandatory alcohol education, all of which he completed three years ago. Although he has no other criminal history, that single DUI remains on his record.
David wants to visit Canada for the 2026 World Cup, and has been planning to do so for the last two years. When David tries to enter Canada, immigration officers look at the equivalent offence under Canadian law and assess its seriousness. In Canada, impaired driving has been treated as a serious criminal offence since 2018, when the laws were changed to categorize it as such.
Because this equivalent Canadian offence is considered serious (even though it was deemed a misdemeanour in the US), if David arrives at the Canadian border without having taken any steps to address his inadmissibility, immigration officers can find him criminally inadmissible based on his first-time DUI conviction alone.
In practical terms, this means that David may be refused entry and turned away from Canada, leaving him unable to attend the event. If he continues to attempt entry despite being inadmissible and without first remedying his situation, he may eventually face more serious consequences, such as an exclusion order that bars him from entering Canada for a set period of time.
What to do if you may be criminally inadmissible
If you want to attend any one of the 13 matches happening in Toronto and Vancouver in 2026, but have a criminal record, take the following steps before purchasing tickets:
Find out how the law assesses your record; and
Assess your options for overcoming criminal inadmissibility, and whether you qualify for one or more of the three primary ways to do so.
Step 1: Find out how the law assesses your record
The first thing you’ll want to do to evaluate your admissibility to Canada is to determine the Canadian equivalent of your offence at the time the offence was committed.
You can do this by comparing the law from the country where it occurred against the Criminal Code of Canada, and see how your offence is categorized.
Immigration offers assess whether the offence you committed falls under “criminality” or “serious criminality,” which determines the severity of your offence.
These are expanded on below.
Criminality (generally less severe)
You may be inadmissible by way of criminality if
You were convicted of an offence (in any country, including Canada) which would be classified as an indictable offence under Canadian law, or of two separate offences deemed to be summary conviction offences; or
You committed an act abroad that, at the time it was committed, was an offence in that country and was considered an indictable offence in Canada.
In Canada, indictable offences are the more serious crimes—such as violent offences or major theft/fraud—and are broadly comparable to felonies in the US.
Non-indictable offences (summary conviction offences) are less serious, like vandalism or petty theft, and roughly equate to misdemeanours in the US.
Of note is that a single minor offence generally does not make you inadmissible. But the Canadian equivalent of the offence will be taken into account.
Serious criminality (more severe)
You may be inadmissible by way of serious criminality if
You committed or were convicted of an offence outside Canada that is, by law, carries a sentence of 10 or more years in prison, or
You were convicted of an offence in Canada that carries a maximum sentence of 10 or more years in prison, or you were sentenced to more than six months in jail.
Hybrid offences
Canada also has hybrid offences, in which prosecutors can decide—depending on the circumstances of your case—whether an offence will be considered as a summary conviction offence or an indictable offence.
For immigration purposes, hybrid offences count as indictable offences. So, if your foreign offence is equivalent to a hybrid in Canada, authorities treats it as indictable, which can increase your likelihood of being found criminally inadmissible.
Schedule a Free Inadmissibility Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm
Step 2: Choose the Right Path to Enter Canada
Once you understand your level of criminality under Canadian law, you can consider one of these three routes:
Temporary Resident Permit (TRP);
Deemed Rehabilitation; or
Criminal Rehabilitation.
The one that best fits your situation depends on factors such as the severity of your offence(s), how much time has passed since you committed the offence(s), and how likely it is that you will commit a crime while in Canada.
With the likelihood that processing times for the following applications will increase closer to match dates in 2026, it is advisable to pursue the relevant legal remedies as soon as possible to meet your World Cup travel timeline.
Notably, many travellers choose to retain the services of an immigration lawyer to ensure that they understand the Canadian equivalent of their offence(s) committed abroad, and that they present the strongest application to overcome criminal inadmissibility and enter Canada without issue.
Option A — Temporary Resident Permit
Temporary Resident Permits (TRPs) are discretionary permits that let you enter temporarily for a specific reason despite being inadmissible.
To be eligible for a TRP, you must have a compelling, time-bound reason to be in Canada, and your need to enter Canada must outweigh any potential risks you pose to public safety.
It is important to note that TRPs are issued at the discretion of the reviewing immigration officer, based on the compelling reasons that a foreign national has to enter Canada.
Compelling reasons may include attending a business conference/networking event, handling a family emergency, or attending a wedding.
Attending a football match may not meet this standard in an officer’s view, and as such, TRPs do carry a risk of refusal for visitors with a criminal record for these individuals. It is often worth consulting an immigration lawyer in these cases to better understand your options.
TRPs can be for single or multiple entries and have a validity range from one day up to three years, as authorized by immigration authorities.
Once a TRP expires (and cannot be extended), you are required to leave Canada and return to your home country.
Application process
How to apply for a TRP depends on your nationality and the associated entry requirements.
If you are from a visa-required country, you must apply for a TRP and a visitor visa together at your local Canadian consulate/visa office before coming to Canada.
If you are from a country that has an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) provision with Canada, you must apply for a TRP through a Canadian visa office in your country of residence.
US citizens or US green card holders may apply at a Canadian consulate or directly at a port of entry (land, sea, or air). Applicants should note, however, that port-of-entry decisions are discretionary and not guaranteed, and thereby travellers hoping to attend the World Cup may be turned away if unsuccessful.
Typical processing for a TRP generally starts within 30 calendar days of a complete application being submitted. Applications carry a fee of: $239.75.
To learn more about TRPs, visit our dedicated webpage.
Option B — Deemed Rehabilitation
In some cases, if enough time has passed since completing your entire sentence (including probation, fines, and community service), you can be automatically “deemed rehabilitated.”
Deemed Rehabilitation is only applicable for non-serious criminality, not serious criminality. For single indictable offences, 10 years must pass since you’ve completed all parts of your sentence. For summary offences, the typical wait is at least five years after completion.
There is no formal application to file; if you meet the criteria, this status can be recognized at the border or by a visa office.
If you are unsure whether you are eligible for Deemed Rehabilitation, you can ask a Canadian embassy, high commission, or consulate to assess your situation at no charge. To avoid delays in the assessment process, many travellers also choose to retain an immigration lawyer.
US residents may have an assessment done at a port of entry, although fees may apply.
Supporting your bid for Deemed Rehabilitation
You may want to consider obtaining a legal opinion letter if you have a criminal record, as this may strengthen your chances of being permitted entry to Canada for the FIFA World Cup.
A legal opinion letter can help an immigration officer clearly see how your foreign offence maps to Canadian law and why you meet the criteria for Deemed Rehabilitation.
Immigration lawyers prepare legal opinion letters to give authorities a legal context and a professional assessment of a person’s admissibility to Canada, especially where public safety is a concern.
These letters typically lay out:
The legal issues involved;
Any potential risks associated with allowing the person to enter Canada;
The Canadian laws that correspond to the person’s charge(s); and
The rationale for finding the person admissible.
While not mandatory, these letters can lower your chance of being refused entry.
These letters can also be used in support of a TRP or criminal rehabilitation application (covered below).
To learn more about Deemed Rehabilitation and legal opinion letters, visit our dedicated webpages on these topics.
Option C — Criminal Rehabilitation (Individual Rehabilitation)
Criminal Rehabilitation (also called Individual Rehabilitation) is a permanent solution for the offences addressed—if your application for criminal rehabilitation is approved, you’re no longer inadmissible for those offences.
Criminal rehabilitation is an option for travellers who don’t qualify for Deemed Rehabilitation and have completed every part of their sentence at least 5 years prior to their application.
Criminal rehabilitation can be used to address both serious and non-serious criminality.
In assessing your application, immigration officers will look for evidence of a stable lifestyle, good conduct, and low risk of re-offending.
Note: Individuals applying for a TRP toward the end of 2025 may not receive a decision on their application before the first FIFA match in Canada for the 2026 tournament (scheduled for 12 June 2026), as these applications often take between one to two years to process. However, if you are eligible for a criminal rehabilitation and have applied, this can be viewed favourably should you apply for a TRP to enter Canada.
In these scenarios, it is again common for visitors to retain the services of an immigration lawyer to better understand their options.
Application process
Government fees vary depending on the categorization of your offences:
Criminality: $239.75.
Serious criminality: $1,199.
To learn more about criminal rehabilitation, visit our dedicated webpage.
Schedule a Free Inadmissibility Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm
