US citizen inadmissable with Infraction (theft less than 20dollars)?

[owalsh89]

Hi there!

So my partner and I are planning to go to Canada for a working holiday (12 months) but it's proving more difficult for her than for me.
I qualify for the IEC as I'm from Ireland and I have a clean record.

Firstly: are her only options for a working holiday through SWAP or GO International? Seems to be the only way but a lot more expensive than the IEC direct application.

Secondly, she was convicted of a misdemeanour back in Jan 2011 for theft (less than 20 dollars) which has since been reduced to an infraction. Will her application be rejected or will she be deemed inadmissible because of this?

 

[jes_ON]

she may very well be inadmissible. She would have to wait at least 5 years to apply for a pardon. She might want to consult a lawyer who specializes in pardons.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/inadmissibility/conviction.asp

Admissibility aside, if she is a US citizen, then (a) she could enter Canada as a visitor, and if she should get a job offer, the employer could apply for an LMIA (difficult to get) and then a temporary work permit.

OR - if she happens to work in one of the listed NAFTA occupations, she would be deemed LMIA-exempt -
http://canada.usembassy.gov/visas/doing-business-in-america/professions-covered-by-nafta.html

But first things first, you have to sort out whether she is admissibile...

 

[owalsh89]

Hi, thanks for the advice. It looks like she can apply for the pardon in January of this year or there also seems to be a form for an early pardon if you feel you have proved yourself. I mean since the incident, she got into university, completed a year exchange abroad in Sweden, completed a double major BA, accepted into university in Ireland and is currently completing an MSc. She has worked for several non-profits and currently works for a human rights organisation in Ireland. She has zero incidents since the theft. Would it be worth applying or waiting for the 5 years to be up? I want to avoid getting legal advice or paying someone (we are both students and pretty broke).

Is this not a valid option for a recent grad or someone under 30 -froschstudenttravel.com seems to have an easy option for US citizens who are recent grads to go to canada to work for a year?