The 1st thing is to be
prepared if you are not a U.S. Citizen always get an Immigration Attorney to
help you. Get copies of all documents (arrest reports, court record, etc. ) and
do not lose them. No matter how minor you thing the crime was also see an
immigration attorney. There are many times that you may be right about how
minor the crime is but you should have copies to protect yourself when
questioned by customs when reentering the U.S. after a trip.
When apply for U.S. Citizenship you will
be asked if you have ever been convicted arrested, detained or committed any
crime. Don’t lie because they will be checking you record anywhere in the U.S.
or abroad. You should discuss your situation with an Immigration attorney
before applying for Citizenship to see if you should even apply or when you
should apply. Certain types of crimes such as drugs, domestic violence, theft
certain sex crimes and of course the more serious crimes can make it very
difficult to gain citizenship but not always impossible.
Whether the crime will prevent you
becoming a U.S. Citizen will depend of what the possible sentence for the crime
is under the law and how much prison time you were sentenced as well as the
type of crime and how long ago the crime was.
Please contact a licensed
Immigration attorney before you act on your specific situation. Immigration
Laws and Federal Regulations are constantly changing and the general
information provided can change over time.