If I was convicted of impaired driving years ago, am I automatically inadmissible to Canada forever?

No — a conviction is not automatically a permanent bar, but it is a serious one that has to be actively dealt with rather than ignored. Impaired driving is a criminal offence, and a foreign national or permanent resident convicted of it, in Canada or abroad, can be found inadmissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act's criminality provisions. Whether it counts as ordinary "criminality" or the more serious "serious criminality" category depends on how the offence is classified and sentenced, which affects what routes are available to overcome it.

Two main paths exist. After enough time has passed since the sentence was fully completed, some people become admissible again automatically through "deemed rehabilitation," without filing anything. Others need to apply for individual rehabilitation, asking IRCC to formally recognize they are unlikely to reoffend. A Temporary Resident Permit can also allow travel in the meantime if there is a genuine reason to enter Canada before rehabilitation is available. Because the right path depends heavily on the specific offence, sentence, and time passed, anyone with an old impaired driving conviction should get a proper inadmissibility assessment before applying for anything or booking travel.