Criminal Records Check - CRC (Merged)

[Ender57]

I‘m in the same boat as you, I just finished my probation about 3 months ago. What I was told was that I could apply any time after finishing probation and they would decide depending on my record.

The main thing that matters is what you were originally charged with and what you want to go into. Also if you do make it past the background check they will as you about it when you go in for you interview.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

This was a long time ago[78] but at that time I was told the normal period was 6 months but they can[and did] shorten it. I was allowed the privelege of serving 4 months after finishing my probation. CHEERS

 

[portcullisguy]

I believe at minimum you must have "no outstanding obligations to the courts". However, there may be limitations depending on what your record is for.

CFRC will have the answers. But in general, yes you CAN join the CF with a criminal record, under many circumstances.

 

[marc]

Yeah I read somewhere where it says you must be free of fines and probation. So I guess it possible.
I‘m going to call them on Monday and find out for sure.
Thanks for the info.

 

[James Wood]

any news on what you can do? i got a conditional dischage and am off probation, that was 2 yrs ago and i have no probation and fines.

 

[Spr.Earl]

Originally posted by CanadianBreed:
[qb] u have a crminal record?
i got convicted last year for a few charges. im on probation right now but should be off later this year. a pardon is out of the question for at least a few more years. so am i eligible to join once my probation is done? [/qb]

Go down and ask at the local recuiting office with out giving you name and ask.
State which leagal restriction‘s you have and see what they say.

If you still whant to join don‘t lie about your record,they will find out in the end!!

Hounoustey is a big thing in the Military!!
We don‘t like lier‘s or cheat‘s!! :threat:

When you leagal obblication‘s are up,join
But remember be hounest!!

 

[xFusilier]

If you recieved a conditional discharge and you have complied with the conditions imposed at sentencing then your conviction should be expunged from your record. If you are convicted of another offence, however, the conditional discharge goes back onto your record, If someone is more familiar with the Identification of Criminals Act, please enlighten me.

 

[kory_ca]

I wanna join the army im 16 not in school at the moment.. how old do you have to be to join?

 

[fleeingjam]

This is a thread for criminal records not applicable ages....any ways its 16 for reserves and 17 for reg with parental consent...the only other problem you may have is the fact that you are not in school cuz dude if your not in school they‘ll think your not smart enough for them (no offence) but for 16 year olds they really re-inforce marks and school. ANYWAYS Back to the criminal records crisis

 

[pte anthony]

You need to be 16 with a grade ten or level one completion for the reserves. 17 with parental consent and high school completion for regular forces. :soldier:

 

[GrahamD]

You must be free of any obligation to the courts for a period of 6 months. That means any obligation, ie fines, probation, conditional sentencing.

In my case, last year I had 1 year remaining on a court ordered 5 year weapons restiction. I miraculously managed to get a court date within the month and applied to have the restriction lifted. The judge ordered my restriction recinded for the purposes of employment with the C.A.F. I took the information to the recruiting center, and was informed that they would have to close my file, and that I was not eligible to reapply for 6 months.

6 months later, I reapplied did my PT and medical (wasn‘t required to redo the apptitude test). While awaiting some information from my allergist I received a letter for the CFRC stating that since my Enhanced Reliability Status was in question, I had to complete certain requirements in order for the CAF to decide weather or not they could trust me.

The requirements include ALL legal documentation in regards to your conviction, letters of conduct from parole/probation officers, councellors, and all your employers for the past 5 years. Also a detailed letter from you stating EXACTLY what you did, why you did it, and what you learned from it.

A board convenes and comes to a decision in regards to your Enhanced Reliability Status. Obviously every member of the CAF is required to have this status, and if they decide no you‘re out of luck.

In my case, I was granted "ERS", and now my application process is back on track. So I‘m now in the same boat as everyone else, except I already have a -1 to my merit score, which is perfectly understandable.

My advice to anyone who is trying to apply with a criminal record, is to take whatever time you have remaining between the end of your court commitment and the mandatory 6 month interval, and gather all such documentation. If you‘ve dealt with the court system you know how painfuly slow they can operate.
That and be honest. You will only have 1 chance, if you try to hide something, some aspect of what happend and they find out during their follow up, you will never get in.

PS. I was also told by a recruiter that having a criminal record could potentially hinder promotions. If I were to to be evaluated for promotion and come out even with the next person, it could potentialy come into consideration.

 

[Robert008]

I have a few questions that maybe someone can clear up for me. I'm going for Vehicle Technician in the Army fulltime.

1. I have been convicted about 10 years ago for carrying a prohibated weapon, and i wonder whether i still have this on my record. Is it deleted automatically after a certain amount of time. Last time i went to the Police station downtown Toronto, they had no record of me.
I plan to talk to my recruiter about this, but wonder if i should worry or will the military oversee this.

2. I have a debt of about 5g's will i be denied acceptance by the military or will i still be able to join? i plan to pay it off, but wonder if i'll get in with this on my shoulders. Some people told me i should just file for bankruptcy and it'll be done with.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

R.

 

[rdschultz]

I think bankruptcy would be a bad option, but I'm not sure.  Bankruptcy will look to them like you just run away from your problems.  If you confront the problem debt head on, and get a letter from them regarding the debt that indicates you and them have an agreement, it should be sufficient (it was in my case, and it was much more than 5g's).  Your credit history is checked on the reliability check, so I can't imagine they view bankruptcy as a sign of reliability.

 

[koach]

1. Only if a disposition is still in effect will a conviction prohibit you from joining the military.

2. As long as your dept is in good standing, you will have no problems.

 

[Robert008]

Thanks for the quick replies guys, you've put my mind at ease slightly.

The criminal aspect of this is what worries me the most, but i guess that is long in the past.

As for the debt, i'm sure i can work something out with a my credit counsellor and military.

Thanks for your help,

R.

 

[casing]

Ok, take this as second-hand knowledge only:

For your conviction, unless you applied for a pardon it is likely still on your record.   So when you say the TO police have no record of you... did you have them do a security check (check for criminal record)?   Costs somewhere around $25 to $30 or so and takes about a week to do.   I believe that after 5 years of the legalities of your conviction being done with you can apply for a pardon.   I'm sure a lawyer or police officer will jump in here an comment on this with more authority.

This next part I have personal experience with:

For your debt, $5K might seem like a lot, but it really is manageable.   Just follow hoser's advice and get yourself a written agreement with your creditors that you have set up a repayment plan.   And actually start making regular payments, if you haven't already.   Creditors will be happy with that as well, because at least they'll get their money.   This will show the CF that you have taken control of the situation and are acting responsibly.   They will also want to be assured that you will be able to afford your debt payments on your CF wages.

Sometimes declaring bankruptcy is the necessary choice, but I wouldn't consider doing it over $5K a very wise decision.   Bankruptcy shatters your credit rating for at least 7 years.   If you want to buy a car or house or even a stereo without having to pay cash or get someone to co-sign the loan for you, a bankruptcy will go a long way in preventing that.  

That being said, having a bankruptcy in your history will not preclude you from enrolling in the CF.   It will keep you out of the cF for a few years (from when bankruptcy was declared), though.   If you declare bankruptcy, follow all the rules laid out, and definitely show improvment in your financial maturity after that, the CF won't worry about the bankruptcy.

 

[Harrier101]

1) If it was an adult conviction, you must tell the recruiter. If it was a youth conviction under the YOA, it will automatically purge after 5 years and be sealed so long as you have had no more convictions. In fact, a section of the YOA, now the YJA, states that a young offender who has met certain conditions, (Too many to list here) can state that they have never been found guilty of a criminal offence after the 5 year time frame has elapsed.

2) I am with the credit counselling service of Toronto. Been with them for 18 months making 130$ payments each month. I was only 9000$ in the whole and had trouble making the minimum payments. So the credit card company's all suggested I approach  the CCS and consolidate everything. And, I called the Kingston recruiting office yesterday regarding this very subject, and I quote..."As long as nobody is coming after you for money, either through phone calls or court action. The CF does not want to get these calls as your employer. Secondly, if you can show that you are making regular payments each month towards your debt you will pass that portion of the background security check." end quote.

Be honest with them, and you may be surprised. Not every candidate is squeaky clean.

 

[Jester]

hi, I'm new to this forum.
I know this question has been answered probably a million times, but every situation is different. Here it goes. On my birthdays I decided to be a dumbass and took something from a store - needless to say I got caught. I accept all responsibility for my actions. I will probably get charged with a summary offence, theft under 5000.00 under the Canadian law. I really want to enlist, and I know that having a record is really bad, and does not give me a good start. I was wondering with that kind of offence, what are my chances of getting in?
Thanks in advance for all your help. 

 

[Guardian]

First - if you walk in the recruiting centre, full disclosure. Tell them everything and don't hide anything.

Second - not to diminish the offence (what you did was wrong, and I see you admit that) but that would probably be considered a "minor" offence. When I was in recruiting, the rule was that a person had to be clear of any judicial obligation for at least a year before beginning the recruiting process. Rules might be different now, and so the best advice I could offer is to call the recruiting centre, explain your situation as you did here, and ask them - they'll tell you.

If it still applies, though, in your case this would be a year starting when your fine / community service has been paid, or your probation period is over, whichever is later. So you're going to have to wait a while. It may hurt your chances of getting in, but it may not.

The key will be your attitude:

I accept all responsibility for my actions.

As long as you demonstrate this attitude throughout the process, and are completely honest, forthcoming, and open about everything, you'll still have a decent chance.

All this said, I'm going to be blunt. We're in a life-or-death business here, and the last thing we soldiers want to see is someone coming in who has a problem keeping his hands off others' kit. In certain circumstances, the consequences could be fatal. So before you apply, ask yourself some hard, honest questions about your character... If this is a problem for you, and you have a pattern of doing this (although you may not have been caught in the past), then please do us, the CF, and yourself a favour - and don't apply.

However, if this truly was a unique moment of juvenile stupidity (and we've all had those in various forms   :blotto then pay the fine, do the time, don't do it again, and give the CF a shot when you're clear.

Best of luck, and feel free to ask us any other questions. Hope this helped.

 

[Butters]

Everyones stolen somthing once in their life... I'm not saying its right to do, but this shouldn't be to much of a problem. I'm sure there are tons of people currently surving in the CF right now who have had worse casing then yours. When i went to apply at the Vancouver branch the recuriter ask if I have any CURRENT criminal offences that I have not be pardoned for, also if you're currently on probation. Say No to these unless they ask if you have ever been convicted before. If it's really bugging  you and you feel they should know, then just let it out at the right time. I don't really see how this would set you back.