Application for IEC - Need help/advice, please!
 

Hi there.

I'm in a tricky situation concerning my application for IEC. I am in the process of applying currently, and I applied for my ACRO police certificate a week ago. When asked if I had been arrested, cautioned or reprimanded, I answered no.

When I was 14 years old, I was found in possession of a small amount of cannabis, taken to the police station, then later released. I assumed I had just received an informal telling off and that it was not on my record. However ACRO have got back to me asking about if I am sure whether I have never been arrested. I have deduced from this and talking to parents that I was actually arrested and given a reprimand.

I now know that this will be on my police certificate, and I will have to explain on my IEC application what happened. I am hoping that due to the fact I was a juvenile, and its almost been a decade since, and it was only a reprimand, that I will be deemed rehabilitated and allowed to proceed with the application.

The bigger problem is that when travelling to Canada multiple times over the past two years, I applied for an ETA. Due to the fact that I was unaware of my arrest or reprimand when I applied, because it was over ten years ago and I was only a child, I did not know the details - I answered no to the question asking me if I had ever been arrested cautioned or reprimanded.

So my question is - will the immigration officer compare my IEC application to my ETA, and see that the answers are different? Will they then be able to deem me a liar and reject me from ever entering? Is that common protocol to compare the two?

What is my best course of action here? In my note on the IEC application explaining my reprimand, should I explain what's happened and that I was unaware of my conviction until obtaining my police certificate, and then admit that the answer was different on my ETA? Will that approach work or is it just a guarantee of rejection because technically I have lied? I am really very worried about this as I was planning to go and live with my girlfriend over there for two years and if I'm rejected then we'll pretty much have to end our relationship.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Re: Application for IEC - Need help/advice, please!
 

Hi, I've deleted your other thread, please don't ask your questions more than once. If somebody can help, they will.

Unfortunately your question is really one for a lawyer rather than a bunch of laypeople on an Internet forum, so nobody here can really tell you for sure (presumably why nobody responded to this thread originally).

My personal opinion is that you'll be fine, as long as you tell the truth now.

Good luck.

Re: Application for IEC - Need help/advice, please!
 

Due to you being convicted as a young person I wouldn't be worrying about the conviction.
I also highly doubt that the IRCC would lay a misrepresentation allegation given the circumstances regarding the offence and failure to disclose this on the eTA application prior to now submitting an IEC application.
All you can do is wait and see what happens.
I wouldn't be losing sleep over this.

Re: Application for IEC - Need help/advice, please!
 

Thanks very much for your reassurance.

Do you think it's my best bet to admit to having not declared it on the ETA in my letter of explanation? I thought maybe confronting that issue head on would seem more honest and open.

Or should I just describe the event and not mention the fact that I did not previously disclose it?

Thanks again for your help.

Re: Application for IEC - Need help/advice, please!
 

I would tell the truth but not offer more information than is specifically asked for. i.e. I would not even go into what you put on your ETA, Obviously if asked about it later you will need to tell the truth.