Citizenship: Good Moral Character/Criminal Convictions

If you have committed a removable offense at any time after becoming a Legal Permanent Resident, you will be placed in removal proceedings before an Immigration Judge. Consequently, it is critical that if you have convictions of any kind, other than traffic offenses and/or DUIs, you should have us review your convictions to determine what impact they may have on your application for citizenship. It should be noted that not only felonies can result in removal, but also misdemeanors.

“Good moral character” requires that you not have committed any criminal offense within five (5) years of your application. Arrests do not count against you, only convictions. You must, however, disclose your arrests and any court dispositions where court supervision may have been granted, since these items will be discovered by the USCIS when it does your background check. Further, even if you have offenses older than five (5) years, USCIS may use them to deny your application and, depending upon the seriousness of those offenses, USCIS may also choose to place you into removal proceedings by issuing a Notice to Appear before an Immigration Judge. If you have been placed before an Immigration Judge as a result of a prior conviction, please call us to set up an appointment to see us.