The old pardon, that one used to get, and whatever the new version is called that Our Harper Government has made harder to get and of less benefit when and if one does, are Canadian government documents, and of no official interest or effect in the US of A. But it might still be worthwhile to get it use here when you apply to drive a school bus, or to be a judge.
If you have a criminal record—anyone's criminal law anywhere—you are supposed to know that American law requires that you tell the border personnel. Not to do so is cause for the agent to refuse entry, or if you have landed by plane, to order you to leave the country immediately. If you do volunteer the information, the agent has discretion to consider the offence/conviction in relation to American law and allow you in, if they think it's OK. An example is a Canadian DUI which is a criminal conviction here, but in many parts of the US is only a traffic offence. However they are not required to even think about such things; it's the agent's discretion. The only official way to escape this Catch-22 is to get the US document before hand, that tells the agent to waive that process because folks in Washington already decided you were no issue. That's the waiver.
As in all things government, in theory you can accomplish both documents all by yourself, by using web sites and the same processes the experts do but it will be tedious, and you'll have to go through stuff you likely have no experience in like getting proper fingerprints taken and submitted. Outfits like the OP's e-mailer are hoping you will find all that too intimidating.
I testify the above is the truth, and some of the correct truth, and pretty much whole, as known to someone with family on the other side, who still drives up to the booth in fear, trembling and withholding information.
But I did look it up.
My friend with the decades old drug record got stopped in US pre-clearance at Pearson, on his way for a week in Florida with his sweetie, because the jail-time came up when they ran his passport. He was told the only way he could continue was to pay a fee and fill out a bunch of paperwork then and there, to acquire a special waiver just for the holiday, andif the waiver was granted (it was) he could pick it up at Pearson the next day and continue on his way (he did).
Sorry but in the grousing about re-booked hotels, pissed-off girl friends and last minute airfares, the processing fee didn't register.
