CILA 'Crimmigration 101' event

The Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association is promoting a May 27, 2026 session on how criminal charges and convictions can derail immigration cases in Canada. (cila.co) The group lists the program as “Crimmigration 101: Navigating the Intersection of Criminal and Immigration Law,” scheduled for 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on May 27. The event page says it is aimed at practitioners handling files where “criminal law and immigration status collide.” (cila.co) Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association, or CILA, describes itself as a professional hub for immigration lawyers that offers education, mentorship and legal resources to members. Its events calendar and continuing legal education pages both feature the same May 27 program. (cila.co; cila.co; cila.co) In plain terms, “crimmigration” means the point where a criminal allegation becomes an immigration problem. Canada’s immigration department says a person can be barred from entering or staying in the country because of a conviction in Canada, a conviction abroad that maps onto a Canadian offence, or even an act committed abroad that would be punishable under Canadian law. (canada.ca) The legal backbone is section 36 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. It says permanent residents and foreign nationals can be found inadmissible for “serious criminality” or for criminality, with the more serious category including offences punishable in Canada by a maximum term of at least 10 years or cases where a sentence of more than six months was imposed. (laws-lois.justice.gc.ca) That makes case assessment highly technical, especially in cross-border files. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says officers look at the Canadian equivalent of a foreign offence, while the Canada Border Services Agency says some travelers may still overcome criminal inadmissibility through deemed rehabilitation, an approved rehabilitation application, a record suspension or a temporary resident permit. (canada.ca; cbsa-asfc.gc.ca) Canada’s regulations set out some of those timing rules in detail. One provision says a person with one foreign conviction equivalent to a Canadian indictable offence punishable by less than 10 years may be deemed rehabilitated only after at least 10 years have passed since the sentence was completed, while some multiple-summary-conviction cases use a five-year clock. (laws-lois.justice.gc.ca) The federal inadmissibility guidance also says people who are criminally inadmissible are normally not allowed to enter Canada unless they fit one of those exceptions. That turns old plea deals, sentencing records and foreign court documents into live issues for travelers, temporary residents and permanent residence applicants. (canada.ca; canada.ca) CILA’s pitch for the session is straightforward: one charge can change a client’s future in Canada. The fact that a national lawyers’ group is selling a basic “101” course in spring 2026 shows how much demand remains for step-by-step guidance in a part of immigration law where one criminal file can reshape an entire case. (cila.co)