Getting a TRP after being denied entry at Canadian border?

It is better to get pre-cleared before traveling, that way he won’t get hung up at the border. Canadian immigration does not have to let him in at all, so if he shows up at the border and they deny him, he won’t just be delayed, he won’t be allowed in.

And, worse, once denied, it will never be easy to get into Canada. Comedian Mark Maron has talked about how one time he was cleared to fly to Vancouver but decided to drive instead. The Canadian border guards held him up for half a day, And every time since then when he goes to Canada, it takes him forever to get through, because he is flagged in the computer.

The US and Canada signed a treaty sharing criminal background computers after 9–11. Canada didn’t care before, now it flags anyone with even a drunk driving. Get him cleared before he goes. Call a Canadian Consulate or Embassy in the US to ask how.

Yes, and even if you’ve been arrested 10 years before for reckless driving (a misdemeanor) when you were 20, it still will show up as a “suspicious” (or something) person in Canada’s system. This is what happened to Nataly Dawn of her band Pomplamoose. She had to cancel her concert in Toronto.

“I was 20. And it is the only traffic violation on my record,” explained Knutsen. “I realize that confessing the sins of my youth is completely unnecessary, but I wanted you to know how unexpected and irrational this whole thing was.

“We weren’t trying to sneak into the country. As a matter of fact, I played Montreal in 2010 and had no problems at customs, so we had no reason to anticipate this sort of thing. When speaking with the customs officer, I told him this and his response was that someone had slipped up and that I shouldn’t have been allowed in.”
http://o.canada.com/2013/03/28/reckless-driving-misdemeanor-prevents-u-s-singer-from-crossing-canadian-border/

Unfortunately he will be denied access to Canada if he has a criminal record.
But he has a couple options! So there is hope!
He can apple for a TRP, a temorary resident permit. This may be a good option for him if he is jsut visiting.
There is another option if he wants to visit you for a long period or even permanently move to Canada. He’ll need to apply for what is called criminal rehabilitation. There is more info on this site here: http://www.visaplace.com/blog-immigration-law/denied-entry-to-canada/refused-entry-canada-3/

I hope it’s helpful, goodluck!!