Are you wondering whether your criminal history will have any impact on your eligibility to immigrate to the United States? If you have past criminal records, you’ll have this question in your mind when looking to move to the US or apply for a Green Card.
Indeed, there’s nothing to worry about if you never had any conflict with the law. However, filling out the criminal history segment of your application can be difficult for you if you have a past criminal record. To get the best guidance on this, you must get in touch with a competent legal service provider like Moore Law Firm. Reading through the section below would also come in handy if you are planning to immigrate to the US but have a past criminal record.
Crimes That Can Affect Your Eligibility
You must know that not all kinds of criminal records will not stop you from getting a Green Card. The US immigration law would stop you from immigrating into the country if you were convicted of any of the three crimes below.
Crimes Involving Immorality or “Moral Turpitude”: This category includes crimes involving “evil intent”. Examples may include animal abuse, fraud, rape, murder, etc.
Aggravated Felonies: This category includes crimes such as drug trafficking, filing false tax returns, sexually abusing a minor, murder, etc.
Crimes Involving Harmful, Illegal Drugs: This category encompasses almost all drug-related crimes. Examples include the use and possession of illegal drugs.
The good news is that despite being convicted of one of the three crimes mentioned above you can become eligible to obtain a Green Card. However, for that, you’ll need to file a “waiver of inadmissibility”.
Remember, you’ll need able legal assistance to get a Green Card through this channel. To be more precise, indeed, a past criminal conviction can complicate your immigration process. However, with proper legal representation, that won’t always result in a denial.
The Definition of “Conviction”
The definition of “conviction” under the US immigration law has certain dissimilarities with that under the US criminal law. To put it more bluntly, the former is much broader compared to the latter.
The immigration law of the country would consider you to be “convicted” if you admitted your guilt or a court found you guilty. The assessment will remain the same even if the court had told you that your record will not include any criminal conviction. The matter might appear confusing to laymen. So, seeking legal assistance is the only way to deal with the situation efficiently.
Final Words
To increase your chances of getting a Green Card, you must work with lawyers with great track records. Also, make sure that the lawyer you are planning to hire has an impressive academic background. He should also have the experience of representing clients in your area. In other words, he should have in-depth knowledge of both federal and state laws.
The easiest way of finding a lawyer boasting all the above qualities is by contacting a top law firm operating in your area. Reputable firms will connect you only to the best immigration lawyers.