# criminal record



## rpeyton65 (Jul 2, 2015)

Hi I am a Canadian national can i resettle in the Philippines if I have had a previous criminal record in Canada


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## pagbati (Apr 9, 2014)

*Police Record*



rpeyton65 said:


> Hi I am a Canadian national can i resettle in the Philippines if I have had a previous criminal record in Canada


rpeyton65 - It really depends on what your criminal record is and what you mean by resettle. If, for example, you intend to apply for the Philippine's SRRV, then there is a standard application form to complete, irrelevant of the country that you are applying from. In addition to that application, one of the supporting documents you would be required to submit is a Police Certificate which must be no more than 6-month's old. I don't believe Canada would differ much from UK with regard to the stages for obtaining the police certificate and I can tell you that UK citizens have to first of all obtain the Police Certifice from the Records Office in Hampshire, then they have to have it legalised by the British Foreign Commonwealth Office in UK and finally, have it further legalised by the Philippine Embassy in London. As part of your SRRV application, these documents would then eventually be reviewed by the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI), both based in Manila. 

Back to the criminal aspect of the Police Record. My understanding is that the Philippine authorities are not really interested in petty offences that took place many years ago. To be more precise, they would seek to ascertain 'whether or not your crime was one involving moral turpitude'. I don't want to be sitting here all day trying to explain precisely what that means; but it is used by the BI; so I suggest you google it and decide for yourself where your 'crime' fits in. In a nutshell, if your crime relates to a minor driving offence or minor assault etc, there shouldn't be a problem. If, on the other hand, your crime was of a sexual nature or to do with fraud (to mention a few), then I surmise you may encounter difficulties.

The other aspect that I touched on is what you mean by 'resettling'. Most expats here are either married to a Filippina (different visa from SRRV, a 13A I believe) or single but on the long-stay Tourist Visa (different again from SRRV) i.e. the latter keep extending their visa every 6-months up to a 2-year period then leave the country briefly and start the process again. I have no idea what these expats have to submit (if anything at all) with regards to a Police Certificate. I expect other members will submit their experience shortly.

My apologies if I've left you with more questions than answers but it's a starting point for further research/ discussion. Good luck.


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## Nickleback99 (Aug 6, 2011)

rpeyton65 said:


> Hi I am a Canadian national can i resettle in the Philippines if I have had a previous criminal record in Canada


As noted depends, but First, do you have a passport?


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## JimnNila143 (Jul 23, 2013)

*Criminal record*



rpeyton65 said:


> Hi I am a Canadian national can i resettle in the Philippines if I have had a previous criminal record in Canada


USA law may be a bit different than UK law. but it depends on the circumstances. If you ever committed a felony, in that you were tried, convicted and imprisoned because of it, there might be a problem. In the USA if one committed a felony, they could never obtain a passport or travel visa. Even though the Philippines has a high corruption rate as far as government personnel, the laws are very strict, i.e., if you stole even one peso and was caught doing it by any law enforcement personnel, tried and convicted, you would spend 12 years, 6 months in prison and there is no time off for good behavior.

Our above friend made some valid points and I recommend following his suggestions.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Immigration Consulatant*



rpeyton65 said:


> Hi I am a Canadian national can i resettle in the Philippines if I have had a previous criminal record in Canada


Here's the current link from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration on approved Liaison Officers:


Government Organization


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## rpeyton65 (Jul 2, 2015)

many thanks for the information


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## rpeyton65 (Jul 2, 2015)

Many thanks for your comprehensive answer,very helpfull


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