Speeding ticket impact on GC?

G

girimm

Registered Users (C)
Hi All:

Posting this for a friend.

My friend got a speeding ticket a couple of weeks back, but since he was driving in the nineties he was asked to appear in court. It is not a misdemeanor or felony, but I believe it is considered a criminal offense and will create a record. He is worried that this will impact his GC application. Should he be?

Thanks.

-GV
 
There was a posting about this in NSC thread

girimm --

If I remember correctly, there was a posting about being booked and the effect it may have on one's GC application.

I recall reading someone's comment that there are two factors your friend needs to consider:

1) Was I arrested by the police, booked, and got the fingerprints taken?

2) Was your charge dismissed by the court?

I also remember reading a case of another individual, who got caught with a prostitute and was concerned about his GC status. If my memory serves me right, I think he got his GC.

In any case, if you are really unsure, I would cough up several hundred bucks and seek legal counsel (both immigration and criminal) to see if you are in the clear.

Good luck to your friend...hope it works out for him.

Japanese
 
Originally posted by girimm
Hi All:

Posting this for a friend.

My friend got a speeding ticket a couple of weeks back, but since he was driving in the nineties he was asked to appear in court. It is not a misdemeanor or felony, but I believe it is considered a criminal offense and will create a record. He is worried that this will impact his GC application. Should he be?

Thanks.

-GV
Click to expand...

Speeding and other traffic tickets are NOT considered criminal offense and do not impact GC unless there was an at-fault accident with injuries/loss of life or DUI involved.
It might become a criminal offense if one fails to pay the ticket or show up at court at the designated time.
 
Re: Re: Speeding ticket impact on GC?

Originally posted by nkm-oct23
Speeding and other traffic tickets are NOT considered criminal offense and do not impact GC unless there was an at-fault accident with injuries/loss of life or DUI involved.
It might become a criminal offense if one fails to pay the ticket or show up at court at the designated time.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response, but per AZ laws speeding above 85mph is a criminal offense and as such he received a criminal offense ticket.

-GV
 
Re: There was a posting about this in NSC thread

Originally posted by Japanese
girimm --

If I remember correctly, there was a posting about being booked and the effect it may have on one's GC application.

I recall reading someone's comment that there are two factors your friend needs to consider:

1) Was I arrested by the police, booked, and got the fingerprints taken?

2) Was your charge dismissed by the court?

I also remember reading a case of another individual, who got caught with a prostitute and was concerned about his GC status. If my memory serves me right, I think he got his GC.

In any case, if you are really unsure, I would cough up several hundred bucks and seek legal counsel (both immigration and criminal) to see if you are in the clear.

Good luck to your friend...hope it works out for him.

Japanese
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply. To answer the questions - no, he was not arrested, booked or fingerprinted. I believe his court date is sometime this week. If he pleads Not Guilty the judge will set a trial date. If he pleads Guilty the judge may lower the fine but will probably not lower it to a civil offense.

-GV
 
Probably not a problem but it would be a good idea to look into it carefully before pleading guilty to anything. Many things have immigration consequences that did not before. The answer may vary depending on the state law so there is no generic correct answer. Many, many considerations go into this analysis.
 
IF you read I-485 application carefully it says criminal offences excluding traffic violations. So It should be OK.
 
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