When an appeal against a criminal conviction is dismissed, refused, or thrown out, it generally means the appellate court has decided that the conviction should stand. The exact legal effect depends on the country and the stage of the proceedings, but the following are common outcomes:

• The conviction remains valid. It continues to form part of the person’s criminal record unless it is later quashed through another legal process.
• The original sentence usually remains in force, unless the appeal also challenged the sentence and the court made changes.
• The conviction becomes more legally settled. A dismissed appeal means a higher court has reviewed the case and found no sufficient legal basis to overturn the conviction.
• Further appeals may be limited. Depending on the jurisdiction, there may be a right to seek permission to appeal to a higher court, but this is often only granted where there is an important point of law or a real prospect that the conviction is unsafe.

It’s important to distinguish between different outcomes:

• Appeal dismissed – The court heard the appeal and rejected it.
• Permission (leave) to appeal refused – The court decided the appeal did not have sufficient merit to proceed.
• Appeal withdrawn – The appellant chose not to continue the appeal.
• Conviction quashed – The appeal succeeded, and the conviction was set aside.

If all appeals have been exhausted and unsuccessful, the conviction generally remains final unless there is an exceptional legal mechanism available, such as:

• new and compelling evidence,
• proof of a serious miscarriage of justice,
• or review by a criminal cases review body (where one exists).

For purposes such as visa applications, employment checks, or safeguarding disclosures, a conviction that has been upheld after appeal is still treated as a conviction unless the law provides otherwise (for example, if it later becomes spent under rehabilitation legislation or is formally quashed).