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← Back to Law ExplorerLast verified: March 2026 · Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
Sexual OffencesHybrid
§271

Sexual Assault

Sexual assault

Sexual Offences
Maximum Sentence

10 years (14 years if victim under 16)

Classification: Hybrid
🍁 Immigration Impact

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.

Legal Text — Criminal Code s. 271

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.

Amendment History (3)
R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 271
2012, c. 1, s. 25
2019, c. 25, s. 94
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