Did my friend just luck out?

[Trk393 1]

Ok here is the deal, when I signed up for my N400 application I listed my traffic violations, someone I know however told me that I should haven't done that and that I would just cause more problems for myself. This person became a US citizen last year, the thing is he received a ticket for possession of marijuana of less than 1 gram 10 years prior but he never reported it when he signed up for his N400 form, he told me that the interviewer didn't even bring it up during his interview, he also said that for some reason his marijuana possession ticket wasn't in the computers anymore at the county court and that the records were destroyed. My questions are; Do they really destroy such records or is he just trying to make me feel bad for listing my prior traffic violations? I just want to see if hes lying or not. This is so stressful, I know the answers to the civic test questions by heart but the interview part is worrying me.

Kind Regards

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Your friend is lying. Not mentioning his arrest could also come back to bite him big time.

[newlyweds2010 208]

I though you are not requested to list traffic violations unless they involved DUI or tickets of more than $500.

[Dan & Jenni 457]

I though you are not requested to list traffic violations unless they involved DUI or tickets of more than $500.

possibly not but it certainly cant do any harm i dont think

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

I though you are not requested to list traffic violations unless they involved DUI or tickets of more than $500.

You're not, but the fact that he did shouldn't be a problem. They can see quickly that they were traffic violations and move on.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Ok here is the deal, when I signed up for my N400 application I listed my traffic violations, someone I know however told me that I should haven't done that and that I would just cause more problems for myself. This person became a US citizen last year, the thing is he received a ticket for possession of marijuana of less than 1 gram 10 years prior but he never reported it when he signed up for his N400 form, he told me that the interviewer didn't even bring it up during his interview, he also said that for some reason his marijuana possession ticket wasn't in the computers anymore at the county court and that the records were destroyed. My questions are; Do they really destroy such records or is he just trying to make me feel bad for listing my prior traffic violations? I just want to see if hes lying or not. This is so stressful, I know the answers to the civic test questions by heart but the interview part is worrying me.

Kind Regards

You did the right thing. Your friend could have his USC revoked if they ever find out he lied.

[newlyweds2010 208]

You're not, but the fact that he did shouldn't be a problem. They can see quickly that they were traffic violations and move on.

That's what I meant. if you're not even required to list them, it's because they don't deem them relevant to the process. Therefore, listing them should not do any harm.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,235]

I though you are not requested to list traffic violations unless they involved DUI or tickets of more than $500.

You "thought?"

Well, if so, you thought wrongly. You need to list anything and everything, but you don't have to document anything under $500. Let me know if you don't understand the difference between listing something and documenting it.

Hint: documenting involves paperwork of proof.

Edited September 19, 2011 by Just Bob

[CoffeeBeans 1]

I though you are not requested to list traffic violations unless they involved DUI or tickets of more than $500.

No, the "DUI and ticket > $500" thing refers to submitting documentation for USCIS to consider your case (in your favor) if you have offenses listed on your N-400 form. You still need to list all past offenses, no matter how trivial they were in nature on your N-400 form.

Failing to do so is consider lying. There is a post on this board currently regarding a $15 minor offense not reported on N-400 form, USCIS found out, denied the case and told the applicant to try again in 3 years. Traffic infractions are not a deal breaker in the eye of USCIS, but lying is. Many people have successfully gained their citizenship with traffic infractions listed on their N-400 form.

Do not withhold any truth from USCIS, as that could end up costing you a lot more (emotionally and financially) than you ever imagine.

Good luck and cheers

[Jojo92122 1,924]

Ok here is the deal, when I signed up for my N400 application I listed my traffic violations, someone I know however told me that I should haven't done that and that I would just cause more problems for myself. This person became a US citizen last year, the thing is he received a ticket for possession of marijuana of less than 1 gram 10 years prior but he never reported it when he signed up for his N400 form, he told me that the interviewer didn't even bring it up during his interview, he also said that for some reason his marijuana possession ticket wasn't in the computers anymore at the county court and that the records were destroyed. My questions are; Do they really destroy such records or is he just trying to make me feel bad for listing my prior traffic violations? I just want to see if hes lying or not. This is so stressful, I know the answers to the civic test questions by heart but the interview part is worrying me.

Kind Regards

This is both funny and ironic.

You provided information that you didn't have to provide. Personally, I think the IO would appreciate your honesty.

Your friend is the one who did the wrong thing. He did not list that he was detained and cited for his drug possession. He is the one with the potential problem, not you.

[tan&tuyet 15]

Like the old saying said "Better to be safe than sorry" :thumbs:

[SMR 368]

No, the "DUI and ticket > $500" thing refers to submitting documentation for USCIS to consider your case (in your favor) if you have offenses listed on your N-400 form. You still need to list all past offenses, no matter how trivial they were in nature on your N-400 form.

Failing to do so is consider lying. There is a post on this board currently regarding a $15 minor offense not reported on N-400 form, USCIS found out, denied the case and told the applicant to try again in 3 years. Traffic infractions are not a deal breaker in the eye of USCIS, but lying is. Many people have successfully gained their citizenship with traffic infractions listed on their N-400 form.

Do not withhold any truth from USCIS, as that could end up costing you a lot more (emotionally and financially) than you ever imagine.

Good luck and cheers

To clarify, the $15 offense wasn't a traffic violation, if I remember correctly, but shoplifting. While I agree that there is little harm in listing traffic offenses (if they care and you didn't list them it will cause problems while if they don't care and you do list them they still won't care), shop lifting is completely different. Traffic violations (barring things like DUI and reckless driving) typically involve a lack of attentiveness or a poor split second decision and don't have a huge bearing on a person's character. Shoplifting is a completely different level that demonstrates a willful disregard of the property of others and the norms of society and honesty. I suppose you can make an argument against a person who habitually speeds because he or she doesn't think the law applies to them, but even that is less egregious than shoplifting, in my opinion.

Further, the poster with the shoplifting offense said it was "a matter of $15." That to me says $15 is the approximate value of the item being shoplifted. It likely wasn't the size of the fine.

[limenaluv91 34]

When you apply it tells you to list EVERYTHING including being detained. My dad has a stop sign violation, went to court for it and had it dimissed by the court. Please notice that just because you weren't jailed, it doesn't mean you should ignore it. Being detained mean being stopped, i.e. being pulled over for a traffic violation. They said they would delete it off his records but he didn't take the chance and he wrote it in his application N400. He had checked out a book from the library to guide him through everything in the application and this book mentioned that if you didn't include being detained or jailed, even if your case was dismissed,you could be then seen as a person with lack of good moral character, which is a really big deal. Don't take your chance, just because your friend "lucked" out doesn't mean its right, and obviously he should've been denied of citizenship for being a liar and for trying to pose as a person with good character like all these good qualifying people waiting for citizenship are. When my dad went for his interview, the guy took a look at the application, and didn't say anything to my dad, and recommended him for approval. Like I said, don't follow your friend's footsteps and become a citizen with the wrong intentions, and with the wrong foot. Start it with the right one.

Edited September 19, 2011 by limenaluv91

[bigdog 376]

Do the right thing, and you should not have a problem, Follow the directions, try and not read too much into them.

Edited September 19, 2011 by bigdog

[CoffeeBeans 1]

To clarify, the $15 offense wasn't a traffic violation, if I remember correctly, but shoplifting. While I agree that there is little harm in listing traffic offenses (if they care and you didn't list them it will cause problems while if they don't care and you do list them they still won't care), shop lifting is completely different. Traffic violations (barring things like DUI and reckless driving) typically involve a lack of attentiveness or a poor split second decision and don't have a huge bearing on a person's character. Shoplifting is a completely different level that demonstrates a willful disregard of the property of others and the norms of society and honesty. I suppose you can make an argument against a person who habitually speeds because he or she doesn't think the law applies to them, but even that is less egregious than shoplifting, in my opinion.

Further, the poster with the shoplifting offense said it was "a matter of $15." That to me says $15 is the approximate value of the item being shoplifted. It likely wasn't the size of the fine.

I can see where you are coming from SMR. I was not making a comparison of the types and severity of offenses as in shoplifting vs speeding violation in my previous post. I merely trying to say : USCIS does not like being lied to. When I read the poster's story, the impression I got is : the poster said she misunderstood the question and did not disclose the little offense committed in her youth on her N-400 form. Unfortunately, her USCIS case officer somehow uncovered that and determined she intentionally misrepresented her answer and ruled that as a " lack of good moral character". Hence the disqualification of her case (note : the bar is a temporary one as she was given an option to try again in 3 years' time)

Many people have (and are entitled) to have their opinions to if traffic infractions should be included on N-400. People did different things and had different experiences with their USCIS case officers. Bottom line, one has to decide what makes the most sense for them. My interpretation of a moving violation ticket (eg. speeding, red light) is a citation, so it should be listed.

Whether the USCIS officer ends up grilling you on that offense or not does not matter, what matters most is you get yourself covered against any potential perjury charge (Remember, you will be answering all the questions asked under oath in the interview).

Cheers