Juvenile Record/Out of State Liscence

K

Ktang

New Member
I have been delaying on my citizenship because I am afraid of being denied. I am curious to know how will it affect my application if my crimes were commited when I was under the age of 18? Grand Theft Auto, Possession of a controlled substance, and burlglary. We all make stupid choices when we are younger and I am now 31... and been walking the straight and narrow ever since. Will this play a major role in my application?
Also, how will me using an out of state drivers liscence affect the application if at all?
Any advice or personal experiences is greatly appreciated!
 
Even though those happened when you were under 18, those crimes seem serious enough that you'll probably be deported if you apply for citizenship, unless you were convicted of them before you got your green card and you listed them on the green card application.

Whether you're actually deportable depends on the specific details of the crimes, including the length of the jail sentences. Make sure you have more than one immigration lawyer review the court dispositions for all those crimes before you apply, to help determine if they are deportable offenses.

Having an out of state driver's license will probably get your application rejected or delayed.

Did either of your parents become a US citizen before you turned 18? That may be your only hope for citizenship.
 
Ktang said:
I have been delaying on my citizenship because I am afraid of being denied. I am curious to know how will it affect my application if my crimes were commited when I was under the age of 18? Grand Theft Auto, Possession of a controlled substance, and burlglary. We all make stupid choices when we are younger and I am now 31... and been walking the straight and narrow ever since. Will this play a major role in my application?
Also, how will me using an out of state drivers liscence affect the application if at all?
Any advice or personal experiences is greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

Just share all the details, unless we are clued in on what we are dealing with as far as the conviction on each case, it will be foolish for us to opine on what would be the outcome. What did you plead or were you found guilty, on what charge, what sentencing did you do? All those questions ought to be full explained, you were 18 years of age, naive and probably still on formula, which happen to a lot of 18years....:)

You can change your out of state license because you don't need a crime spree past to do that. Go ahead and change it soon, because should you decide to apply for naturalization, current state drivers license required as proof of residency.
 
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If you are 31 and you committed the crimes before you were 18, you must have either got your green card after that or renewed your green card at least once. Did you disclose your crimes at the time of your green card renewal or award of the green card?
 
Please indicate the state in which the crimes happened, the actual charge of conviction, the punishment (jail time, probation, fines, etc...).

Age at time of commission, age at time of conviction, may have influenced if you were traeted as juvenile or as an adult. Was there a specific finding or juvenile delincuency? On the drug charge, was it a first offense and treated as such under a state first offender program? Was the burglary of the vehicle or of a residence or a business? Was it all one incident with multiple charges or were there separerate incidents?

Now, regarding your immigration history. How did you immigrate? What is the status of your parents? Give a timeline of events. Marriage, seperation, divorce, born in wedlock or out of wedlock, where, etc... At your age, IF you have any possibility of having derived USC through parents, you would fall under older sections of law that were in effect in the past but not the current laws.

Once you can answer all those questions, if you choose to inform the forum members here, we will offer information. THEN, go consult a lawyer.

P.S. MOST, if not all, States require you to switch your licence over to them within 30 days, you are asking for a ticket.
 
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The grand theft auto was when I was 15. I was sentenced to 120 days in Juvenile Hall.
Controlled substance was when I was 15. I was sent to the Boys Ranch, which is basically a work program so the timeline varies on your behavior. I spent about 6 months there.
The Burlglary of a residence occured when I was 17, and was sentenced to 365 days, spent some of that time in a juvenile facility and when I turned 18 I spent the remaining time in county jail.
All of these are different offenses and I plead out all three times. All of this occcured in the state of CA.
I came to the US with my aunt when I was really young and my green card was issued to me back in 1983. I have never renewed my green card because I do not see an expiration date on it. My parents are NOT citizens and while I was growing up they were not my legal guardians.
If any further details are needed, please feel free to ask
 
Ktang said:
The grand theft auto was when I was 15. I was sentenced to 120 days in Juvenile Hall.
Controlled substance was when I was 15. I was sent to the Boys Ranch, which is basically a work program so the timeline varies on your behavior. I spent about 6 months there.
The Burlglary of a residence occured when I was 17, and was sentenced to 365 days, spent some of that time in a juvenile facility and when I turned 18 I spent the remaining time in county jail.
All of these are different offenses and I plead out all three times. All of this occcured in the state of CA.
I came to the US with my aunt when I was really young and my green card was issued to me back in 1983. I have never renewed my green card because I do not see an expiration date on it. My parents are NOT citizens and while I was growing up they were not my legal guardians.
If any further details are needed, please feel free to ask
Click to expand...

Did your aunt legally adopt you and what is your immigration code from your greencard?
 
Ktang said:
I came to the US with my aunt when I was really young and my green card was issued to me back in 1983.
Click to expand...

Which relative sponsored your green card? Apparently not your parents, and your aunt couldn't sponsor you unless she adopted you.
 
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