As a lawyer practicing both criminal and immigration law, I often receive requests from colleagues for professional advice on issues they are facing when the two branches of law intersect. Recently, I was consulted by a client on behalf of a fellow criminal defence lawyer to provide an opinion letter for a judicial pretrial on the effect of a discharge for a domestic assault an accused was facing. The client was accused of assaulting his wife. He, and his wife, were also facing potential deportation. Fortunately, we were able to resolve their predicament.
With the Supreme Court decision in Tran v. Canada, non-citizens (permanent or temporary residents of Canada) will no longer be subject to inadmissibility proceedings and possible deportation as a result of being sentenced for to a conditional sentence of imprisonment.
