Updated June 9, 2022
Many job application forms come with a little tick box asking, “Are You Bondable”. Let’s start with the basics – what does it mean to be bondable – before you check that box.
What does bondable mean on a job application?
Bondable (as it relates to employment) means one’s ability to be insured by the hiring company, so that in the event of theft or loss by the employee the company is insured for the value of the loss. The process requires several checks, namely background (criminal record) and credit checks.
A company who is looking to hire in various departments will usually ask if the candidate is bondable. They may also ask, “Have you ever been bonded?” or “Can you be bonded?” Jobs include:
- Positions where there is sensitive or valuable company information/data
- Employment that involves the direct handling of cash
- Jobs that involve the use of client financial information (credit card/banking information)
- Client Representative, Service Jobs requiring interaction with customers
- Work in the Vulnerable Sector
- Financial Services and Banking Institutions
You may have heard that everyone is bondable because everyone can buy insurance at some price point. However, the definition of bondable for a job means that you don’t have a criminal record. This list shows the extreme diversity of employers that are concerned about whether or not you’re bondable. What does not bondable mean? It means they would have to pay more if they hired you.
Being bondable is increasingly becoming a requirement when applying for jobs. This follows on the increasing use of criminal record checks by employers in all industries throughout Canada. Another, more discreet reason for asking the question is a result of limits placed on the employer regarding asking questions in regards to criminal records. If you have any sort of criminal record, you must answer “No” to the question of “are you bondable”. This is because when the company who hires you tries to get you bonded the insuring company will complete a Canadian criminal record check. If a criminal record comes back with any prior conviction you will be declined the bond and will probably face repercussions from the employer.
Do you want to clear your criminal record and become bondable?
Start by checking your eligibility.
Check my eligibility for a pardonGet a criminal record check
How to become bondable with a Record Suspension
Thousands of Canadians are faced with the difficulty of not having the ability to be bonded. In Canada, the answer is to apply for a Canadian pardon. Currently, a pardon is called Record Suspension. A Pardon from the Parole Board of Canada will effectively seal your criminal record. As a result, when those background checks are completed by the insurance company they will see a clear record. This result opens a huge area of possibility for the 13% of Canadians living with a criminal record. Take a step towards improving your future; apply for a Canadian Pardon today. Pardon Services Canada staff are trained to help you with your Record Suspension application.
Note that a Record Suspension will not help you cross the US border. For that, you will need a US Entry Waiver.
Get personalized advice that suits you at your convenience. Book a free consultation call with an Advisor today.
This answer was very clear. It did answered my question. I’m new in Canada and I had no idea about being “Bondable”. So now I know that I am “Bondable”.
Of course your bondable your record is locked away in mexico.
Actually anyone, including those with a criminal record are bondable. While an insurance company may deny it, some also just raise the rate for it.
Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Thats not fair cause imigrants with extensive criminal records can take all the good jobs.
Immigrants who come to Canada already pass Police verification process to make sure that they do not have criminal records. It is not easy for bad apples to reach Canada.
lol all the bad apples are already in “canada” from places in europe like britain, france, germany, ukraine, etc….with names like harper, labelle, macdonald, bernardo, trudeau etc
To say ‘No” to the question if you have a criminal record is false information. Even the John Howard Society will tell you that even with a criminal record you can be bonded.
A lot of factors go into the decision of the bonding company on whether to bond a person with the biggest factor being the nature of the job.
It goes without saying that if you are applying for a bank teller and you have a criminal record, you will not get bonded, but on the other hand if it’s just a manufacturing job there’s a very good chance you will get bonded.
I know this because I have a criminal record and have been bonded.
Hi William,
Yes, you are right. Technically anyone can be bonded. The problem occurs when the insurance company declines to insure or charges a rate that is too high for the employer to pay. If you marked yes on the application the employer might feel like you were dishonest. Often it depends on the position. However, it can be hard for a job applicant to know how the employer’s insurance company will act. A Record Suspension can eliminate the risk.
“If you marked yes on the application the employer might feel like you were dishonest.”
I honestly don’t see how the employer might feel the applicant is being dishonest, and since the article says that “Companies are increasingly using the bondability check to screen applicants for criminal records.” provides no basis for assuming otherwise. This is a wrong approach to determine if an applicant has or has not a criminal record.
The employer should already know that ALL insurance rates are based on the risk element. This is the same no matter what type of insurance is being sought, be it auto, home, life or bond-ability. If the employer what to know if the applicant has a criminal record then they honest and forthright in their questioning and not be deceptive by asking the Are you bondable question. Instead the question they should be asking is “Do you have a criminal record to which a Record Suspension has not been granted?”.
Hi William,
Yes, you are right. The employer should not discriminate against anyone if the record is unrelated to the position being sought or a pardon has been granted. In many jurisdictions in Canada, this is the law. We need to raise awareness amongst employers that the stigma against people with records is usually not fair.