Criminal Inadmissibility applies to everyone, even celebrities. According to Canadian Immigration Law, anybody that has committed an act outside of Canada that is equivalent to a Canadian federal offence may be inadmissible. The following is a list of celebrities that have been rejected at the Canadian border because of their criminal records.
Criminal Inadmissibility applies to everyone, even celebrities. According to Canadian Immigration Law, anybody that has committed an act outside of Canada that is equivalent to a Canadian federal offence may be inadmissible. The following is a list of celebrities that have been rejected at the Canadian border because of their criminal records.
1. Lil Wayne
Convicted for weapons charges in 2007, Lil Wayne served eight months in Rikers Island Prison, but he also had several drug possession charges that could also have made him criminally inadmissible at the time. Thankfully for Lil Wayne, Canadian authorities warned him in advance before he was rejected at the border, but he still had to cancel two Canadian tour dates in 2011. At least his shows were cancelled somewhat in advance, unlike…
2. Chris Brown
Chris Brown has a long history of being denied entry at the border for criminal inadmissibility. Since his felony assault conviction in 2009, Chris Brown has cancelled a show in Toronto for fear of being denied entry (2014), and was also denied entry into the UK in 2010 for his serious criminal record. Most recently, in 2015, Chris Brown had to cancel shows in Toronto and Montreal just hours before his performance, leaving fans devastated.
3. Wes Bentley
Convicted for a drug possession in 2008, the Hunger Games and American Beauty star was denied entry in 2012. Wes was trying to promote The Time Being at the Toronto International Film Festival, but his criminal record barred his entry. Wes has already discussed his previous heroin addiction in the past, and has since been sober, but that did not sway the Border Agents decision.
4. The Used
Bert McCracken, frontman of the band The Used, had a series of minor offences dating back to the early 2000’s that barred his entry into Canada in 2012. The band is attempting to cater to their Canadian fans by having ‘border tours’ which include performances close to the Canadian border. These shows will be close enough that Canadians from major cities will be able to visit, and they’ll even be free of charge if you are Canadian.
5. The Game
In 2011, rapper The Game was denied entry for alleged gang affiliations. The rapper told the press that customs officials were going to detain him for 14 days, but they responded that the Immigration and Refugee Board is legally required to have review hearings within 48 hours, and that there was no way he would be detained that long.
All of these celebrities had enough on their criminal records for customs officials to determine them criminally inadmissible. If they try and come to Canada again, they will need to get a Temporary Resident Permit, which is a short term solution that you have to apply for every time you enter, or they could undergo Criminal Rehabilitation, which would allow them to have a clean slate with customs officials.
For more information on criminal inadmissibility, or general immigration inquiries, check out our Free Assessment Form, here. Check out our social media for updates on immigration policies and news; Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
