Client refused entry at Detroit-Canada checkpoint based on old charges - I'm not sure why?
Trying to make sense of her situation - the facts are simple: She had a couple of charges that were "deferred adjudication following a plea of no contest" in USA parlance, that I understand would be considered convictions in Canada. (They are not convictions in the USA for *most* purposes.) They refused her approval to enter at the Detroit checkpoint, and she was just driving in to visit Ontario, thinking it would be no issue. Note that she has traveled to over 20 countries and never had a VISA issue or been refused entry, so this was a surprise.
Note that these charges were a long, long time ago (15+ and 30+ years!) and were not on any of the lists of more problematic charges (they were essentially disobeying the order of a police officer type charges) I've found. The way I'm reading it, she should file for rehabilitation based on the criminal convictions, but frankly not sure that's necessary, as it seems it was an inappropriate call by the border patrol officer. Is it normal to require all potential entrants to go through this process regardless of the age of the offense? That seems wildly out of step with... the rest of the world. What's the point of giving the five or ten year limits if you're going to deny entry based on "crimes" from 18 years ago?
Anyhow, I'm not looking for an argument or anything, I just want to tell her the appropriate path. She has no violent offenses, intoxication offenses, or felonies (in USA terminology). The process is expensive and time consuming, so I want to confirm before I advise. Thanks.