Hi !
I am British.Living in Paris France.I have applied to emigrate to Canada.
App' Form is in on a fast track system. They will ask for supporting Documents
soon. I am worried about the police report....When I was 19 (20 years ago)I was taken to a
Magistrates court for not paying some train tickets by British transport police
I got off due to my parents just being divorsed and money was tight etc.....
Do I have a criminal record?and if so is this enough to stop me and my family
getting into Canada?
Thanks for any replies!
Erica
You might have a record of the arrest, even if you were not found guilty of the offense.
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act may not apply to you but if it did, the offense would still probably show up, although it would have been "spent" a long time ago. It does not apply to certain jobs or overseas though so if the record was requested, an offense or arrest would still probably show up.
You might think about talking to the embassy and seeing what the rules and regulations actually are. They might lump the offense in with parking or minor traffic infractions and not be too bothered.
Thanks for info?
Where should I go to in the Uk to find out if it is on record somewhere?
Are the british transport police a separate entinty?
Erica
Criminal Records Bureau would probably have this but they won't release information to individuals - only agencies or employers, although I think you get a copy when this occurs. Otherwise, I'm not really sure how an individual gets their police record. Maybe some of the folks that applied through the embassy to emigrate can advise you but I have no experience of this. I assume the FBI made some background check on me when I was already in the US but I didn't have a record so it was a non-issue.
BTP are separate and until fairly recently, their records were not included in CRB reports but this changed not long ago. CRB are also adding in records from Customs and Revenue, Royal Military Police and the Ministry of Defense so they'll have a record of just about any transgressions in the future.
Maybe look up the BTP online and call one of the non-emergency numbers listed there and see how much help they can provide. Possibly not much but they may have a better idea as to how you could get a look at your record in advance. Otherwise, it might be a case of fingers-crossed, unless you want to pre-empt the problem and admit to the Canadian embassy upfront that you have a concern and see if you can defuse it that way.
Good luck and sorry I can't help you much - perhaps an immigration lawyer would have all the answers and you can do worse, especially if you have such a grave concern about it.
Surely there's no "criminal record" if you were not found guilty?
Surely there's no "criminal record" if you were not found guilty?
You'd hope so, wouldn't you but apparently the Britain we lived in has changed.
From a BBC news story recently:
"The union said it had heard from a teacher who was reported to the police by a neighbour who spotted him naked in his own home.
Although never prosecuted or cautioned, the information was released under subsequent CRB checks and the teacher was refused employment."
No idea if a foreign government would be given this information but a British organisation can get it easily for a small fee, including:
* information held on the Police National Computer (PNC) such as convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings in England, Wales and those recorded from Scotland. There is also some Northern Ireland conviction data held on PNC;
* information held by local police forces relating to relevant non-conviction details;
* information from the Government's Protection of Children Act List (POCA);
* information from the Government's Protection of Vulnerable Adults List (POVA);
* information held by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) under Section 142 of the Education Act 2002.
I've heard of people getting in here ok as tourists that had been charged with some serious, violent crimes in their pasts but as with anything post 9-11, it may have been tightened up quite a lot now.