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Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?

  • Laura Osman

  • Canadian Press

  • May 30, 2024

Former President Donald Trump leaves the courthouse after a jury found him guilty of all 34 felony counts in his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP)

OTTAWA -- A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.

Trump was found guilty today on all 34 counts in his criminal hush money trial, which are punishable by up to four years in prison.

Mario Bellissimo says that makes him "criminally inadmissible," and he can't apply to change that until five years after he serves his sentence.

However, if Trump is elected United States president in the meantime, exemptions could be made.

He would have to show the Immigration Department, or the federal minister, that he had a compelling reason to be in Canada and that he wouldn't commit more crimes on this side of the border.

Spokespeople for the public safety and immigration ministers say they would not discuss individual cases, even ones as high-profile as Trump's.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2024.