DS-230 & traffic citation

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visa20001

New Member
Hi, I committed few traffic violations (moving - violations speeding tickets) during my previous stay in USA on Non - Immigrant visa and neither did I pay for those tickets nor did I attended the court. I moved back to India and now I'm again going to apply for Immigrant visa to USA and for that I need to to fill in Application DS-230 in which for the question (31. Have you ever been charged, arrested or
convicted of any offense or crime?) if I say yes do they overlook that and issue me visa or If I say (NO - to the question 31) will they check the Traffic violations database and find out that I lied. What are the pros and cons of my both the answers YES and NO to the question number 31 in DS-230 form. Even if I plan to pay for those tickets When I called the DMV of New Jersey state they are not giving me the details of traffic violations.. Please suggest me what to do..

thanks
Visa
Saarareddy@yahoo.com
 
Good question: when you get (and pay for your traffic ticket), does it considered to be an offense?
 
This is a tricky case because if you don't pay your tickets usually they have a warrant for your arrest. I would consult with an immigration lawyer how it works.
 
Go to the municipal court website for the city where you got your ticket. They usually have a search engine to check how many violations each person have or if there any warrant for the person. You should be able to do that because it's a public record.
 
DS230 & traffic violations

But this doesn't solve our problem, because when we pay for the tickets they will take the bail money and will issue a court date (which I need to attend) but being here in India how will I attend the court.
 
First step is to see where you stand in regards to the tickets. Check the webiste and try to find out if there is a warrant out- How much you owe? What to do if you are out of the country? Can a lawyer represent you here? Anything the website can offer. What address was written on the ticket? Can you check to see if any correspondence ever came?

You need to know what "battle" you are fighting before you decide how to fight it. You should think about contacting a good lawyer.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
visa20001 said:
But this doesn't solve our problem, because when we pay for the tickets they will take the bail money and will issue a court date (which I need to attend) but being here in India how will I attend the court.
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A lawyer can represent you.. there is no need for you to be there as it is not a criminal court arrinment.
 
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