the CanadaVisa Team - 10 July, 2015
Chris Brown, the American R & B star who infamously pleaded guilty to an assault charge after an incident with then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, last night cancelled two shows in Montreal and Toronto after citing Canadian “immigration issues”.
“Unfortunately I will not be able to perform in front of sold out crowds in Montreal and Toronto,” wrote Brown in a tweet just before 4:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, just hours before he was supposed to take the stage in Montreal. “The good people of the Canadian government wouldn’t allow me entry. I’ll be back this summer and will hopefully see all my Canadian fans,” he added. Both tweets were later deleted from his account.
Following the tweets and their subsequent deletion, a spokeswoman for Brown confirmed that Canadian immigration officials had denied him entry, though Brown may apply to return at a later date and plans to do so. Live Nation, the promoter for the shows, stated that "due to immigration issues" the shows had been cancelled and refunds are available at the point of purchase.
Brown has a checkered history with the law. He was jailed for nearly three months last year for violating his probation by getting into an altercation outside a Washington hotel in 2013.
In 2010, he was denied entry to the United Kingdom, forcing him to miss a series of shows. The British Home Office stated that Brown was denied entry as a result of his criminal record.
Canada has strict and clear guidelines regarding what is known as ‘criminal inadmissibility’. Depending on the nature of the conviction and when it tookplace, the person may still be permitted to enter Canada, either by way of deemed or individual rehabilitation or through the issuance of a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP). Other individuals who have been denied entry to Canada include actor Wes Bentley, hip hop artists The Game and Lil Wayne, and musician Bert McCracken of The Used.
