Preemptive question regarding juvenile convictions

[Ben1103 0]

Hi all I’m new here and I’ve had plenty to read so far but thought I’d go ahead and ask a question on here too for some clarity. 
 

I’ll be looking to apply for a k-1 visa in the near future and I’m trying to prepare myself as much as possible. 
 

I have 3 convictions from when I was 15/16 years old. 2 for assault and 1 for carrying an offensive weapon. I received 3 seperate cautions for these offences. I’ve had no criminal convictions since apart from some minor traffic violations around 5 years ago. 
 

considering these were juvenile offences and it’s been around 13–14 years since then, how likely are these to negatively affect my visa application? Do I still stand a good chance of approval? 
 

I’m currently waiting on my acro and sar to see what exactly shows up on my record as it’s been so long I can’t remember the specifics of exact dates etc. 

[SalishSea 16,916]

1 hour ago, Ben1103 said:

Hi all I’m new here and I’ve had plenty to read so far but thought I’d go ahead and ask a question on here too for some clarity. 
 

I’ll be looking to apply for a k-1 visa in the near future and I’m trying to prepare myself as much as possible. 
 

I have 3 convictions from when I was 15/16 years old. 2 for assault and 1 for carrying an offensive weapon. I received 3 seperate cautions for these offences. I’ve had no criminal convictions since apart from some minor traffic violations around 5 years ago. 
 

considering these were juvenile offences and it’s been around 13–14 years since then, how likely are these to negatively affect my visa application? Do I still stand a good chance of approval? 
 

I’m currently waiting on my acro and sar to see what exactly shows up on my record as it’s been so long I can’t remember the specifics of exact dates etc. 

Violent felony convictions can definitely be a barrier to obtaining a US immigrant visa, even if they occurred when you were a juvenile.

 

You will need to provide ALL of your very detailed criminal and court records, so I suggest you start to feather those.   Not remembering the dates won’t cut it with immigration.

[SteveInBostonI130 3,328]

2 hours ago, Ben1103 said:

Hi all I’m new here and I’ve had plenty to read so far but thought I’d go ahead and ask a question on here too for some clarity. 
 

I’ll be looking to apply for a k-1 visa in the near future and I’m trying to prepare myself as much as possible. 
 

I have 3 convictions from when I was 15/16 years old. 2 for assault and 1 for carrying an offensive weapon. I received 3 seperate cautions for these offences. I’ve had no criminal convictions since apart from some minor traffic violations around 5 years ago. 
 

considering these were juvenile offences and it’s been around 13–14 years since then, how likely are these to negatively affect my visa application? Do I still stand a good chance of approval? 
 

I’m currently waiting on my acro and sar to see what exactly shows up on my record as it’s been so long I can’t remember the specifics of exact dates etc. 

 

Are you the petitioner or the beneficiary?

 

[JeanneAdil 6,259]

13 minutes ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

 

Are you the petitioner or the beneficiary?

 

I would guess UK since he wants ARCO report

SAR is done by UK and US so it will be interesting to see what he responds 

[Chancy 6,233]

*** Moved from K1 Progress Reports to K1 Process & Procedures ***

 

3 hours ago, Ben1103 said:

considering these were juvenile offences and it’s been around 13–14 years since then, how likely are these to negatively affect my visa application? Do I still stand a good chance of approval? 

 

I assume you are the beneficiary, not the US citizen.  I recommend you consult with an experienced US immigration lawyer.  Because you have some criminal history, even if juvenile offenses, your case will not be straightforward and not simple to DIY.  Also consider getting married and going through the CR1/IR1 spouse visa path instead.  Hardship waiver may be available to spouse of USC.  Not sure if available for fiance.

 

You may want to reach out to the VJ members below, whose cases also involved beneficiary with criminal record --

 

 

[Ben1103 0]

4 hours ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

 

Are you the petitioner or the beneficiary?

 

I’m the beneficiary 

3 hours ago, Chancy said:

*** Moved from K1 Progress Reports to K1 Process & Procedures ***

 

 

I assume you are the beneficiary, not the US citizen.  I recommend you consult with an experienced US immigration lawyer.  Because you have some criminal history, even if juvenile offenses, your case will not be straightforward and not simple to DIY.  Also consider getting married and going through the CR1/IR1 spouse visa path instead.  Hardship waiver may be available to spouse of USC.  Not sure if available for fiance.

 

You may want to reach out to the VJ members below, whose cases also involved beneficiary with criminal record --

 

 

Is there much involved in getting the waiver approved if it ended up in that position? 

[Ben1103 0]

Does it help my situation that the offences don’t fall under moral turpitude? 
 

from what I’ve researched so far, common assault doesn’t fall into moral turpitude and the carrying an offensive weapon charge doesn’t seem to either. 
 

honestly I’m hoping that and the fact I was a juvenile will help me. Or is the fact I have 3 juvenile convictions going to outweigh the types of convictions they are? 
 

I’ll definitely reach out to others going through similar situations. It would be nice to hear from anyone that’s been through the whole process start to finish with convictions and what their experiences were like. 

[SalishSea 16,916]

2 hours ago, Ben1103 said:

I’m the beneficiary 

Is there much involved in getting the waiver approved if it ended up in that position? 

Just the cost and time involved.   You definitely need a lawyer for this.

[Rocio0010 5,573]

6 hours ago, Ben1103 said:

honestly I’m hoping that and the fact I was a juvenile will help me. Or is the fact I have 3 juvenile convictions going to outweigh the types of convictions they are? 

I think the answer to those two questions will depend on the officer interviewing you. But the general rule is that being a juvenile doesn’t have any effect on the outcome. It’s still a violent felony. 
Definitely get in touch with people that have been through the same process, ideally going through the same embassy. 

[Ben1103 0]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far. I know going forward I’ll have to get an immigration lawyer to help and go through the process but it’s more about settling my nerves about it all now and doing as much research as possible ahead of time. I’d like to be fully prepared in advance. 

I’ve had advice from someone on a K1 visa support group today who has apparently been helping people with convictions get approved for 19 years. He seems to believe because I was under 18 when I received these convictions it’s shouldn’t be too much of an issue as the beneficiary. I just need to be open and honest and go prepared. 
 

I’m still skeptical on the whole thing given the conflicting things I read on the internet. Probably the worst thing I can do but I’d rather know as much as possible going forward.