10 years (14 years if victim under 16)
Hybrid offence. With a 10-year maximum, this is serious criminality under IRPA s.36(1). Sexual assault convictions carry severe immigration consequences and are carefully scrutinized by CBSA.
Sexual contact without consent, from unwanted touching through to far more serious acts. The maximum is 10 years, rising to 14 where the complainant was under 16, so it is serious criminality either way. Officers examine these records closely and the paperwork trail tends to be long.
Everyone who commits a sexual assault is guilty of (a) an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than 10 years or, if the complainant is under the age of 16 years, to imprisonment for a term of not more than 14 years and to a minimum punishment of imprisonment for a term of one year; or (b) an offence punishable on summary conviction and is liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than 18 months or, if the complainant is under the age of 16 years, to imprisonment for a term of not more than two years less a day and to a minimum punishment of imprisonment for a term of six months.