Traffic tickets and naturalization (threads merged)

am2220 said:
Friends,

Need your advice. Received the yellow interview letter today which asks me to bring copies of all arrest records as I have indicated I had been arrested. I had indicated I had two traffic incidents:

- One was way back in 2001, when I was driving on I-20 east towards Shreveport, LA from Dallas, TX..speeding 10 miles over limit and had to pay fine of USD 125 via mail...don't have any records to show

- One was a redlight violation ticket from City of Plano in late 2007. Paid a fine of USD 75. No records to show here either


- My DPS licence history is available and shows I have no moving violations on record.


In retrospect, I should not have disclosed any of these incidents as they are really minor - but how do I ensure that I am covered...don't even know how to get court copies for mail tickets. Please advise.
__________________
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First, it sounds from your post that you were never actually arrested. You were given two traffic citations but that is not the same thing as being arrested. So you should be clear about it when you go to the interview. Your interview is on July 21 so you still have some time to get some records related to those tickets. If you know which counties you were ticketed at, you can write to county courts in there and request copies of court dispositions related to your tickets. It is a good idea to call first and talk to the court clerks there.
Even if you cannot get any records in time for the interview, you should explain at the interview exactly what those tickets were about and how much the fines were, and show that you currently have a clear driving record. It somewhat depends on luck but I think that in most cases the interviewing IO will not actually need to see all the documentation related to the traffic tickets and a verbal explanation would be sufficient. That was the case with me, for example. I mentioned a couple of tickets to the interviewing IO (and I did answer "yes" to question D16 in N-400), but my IO did not want to hear anything about those tickets and just moved on. Hopefully the same will happen to you.
 
USCIS's own instruction say you do not need to provide documnetation
for traffic violation if the fine is below $ 500 and not alcolol-drug related.

You should try hard to get court documents. If courts are within driving
limits, go to court and get documents. Otherwise call the court and court
clerk should locate your case and ask for proceddure how to get disposition
docs.

But If cannot get docs, go ahead. Most likely USCIS will not insist upon
seeing it. Their instruction document even say so
 
I had minor (fine less than $500 as per USCIS and they were not DUI related) driving tickets and I didn't mention it on the N-400. The IO asked if I had any driving tickets. I replied by saying "YES" but none of my driving tickets were more that $500 in fine and they were not DUI related. IO was satisfied with the answer and there were no more questions.

My interview was a success and I have oath scheduled in the next few weeks.

Please don't get stressed out by minor traffic driving tickets.

Good Luck.
 
I was interviewed at St. Paul, MN. During the interview the IO asked for any traffic violations or citations. I said yes and he wanted proof that I paid all the fines. Luckily I had gathered that paper eventhough it was not mentioned in the list they had sent.
 
officer ignored them and asked me if other than traffic violations do i have any other police issue.?...no in my case
 
My Interview is tomorrow - got a speeding ticket on Friday

So, my internview is scheduled for tomorrow (Monday 6/22), and I was pulled over this past Friday (6/19) for speeding (going 47 in a 30 zone - $102 fine). I'm so pissed as I was on a 9-year streak of no traffic violations and this thing happens to me 2 days before my interview. But alas, I violated the law and deserve this - I'm not going to make up any stupid excuses.

I haven't decided yet if I should pay the fine or try to sweeten it a bit by pleading not guilty on the ticket and going to court, but with regards to the interview:

1. I guess I have no choice but to mention it when the IO will ask if I've been detained by a police officer since submitting the application... :(

2. Can anyone tell me how this minor traffic citation that has not been resolved (haven't paid it yet), would affect the interview outcome? :confused::eek:

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
I have my interview scheduled for tomorrow (6/22) and was just pulled over this past Friday for going 47 in a 30mph zone. I was on a 9-year streak of no moving violations (got pulled over twice since my last ticket in 2000 and both were dismissed - I have certified court dispositions showing that those were dismissed, as well as a clean driving history search result from the DMV). All of which I will be brining with me tomorrow to the interview

Now I get pulled over on Friday for speeding and have the interview scheduled for tomorrow. I assume I should disclose the incident at the interview...

While I know that minor traffic violations are usually not an issue for naturalization purposes, does anyone know if the fact that this speeding ticket is still unresolved (I haven't had the chance to pay the fine or go to court to contest it yet) may delay or affect the interview outcome?

TIA
 
GhostRider said:
So, my internview is scheduled for tomorrow (Monday 6/22), and I was pulled over this past Friday (6/19) for speeding (going 47 in a 30 zone - $102 fine). I'm so pissed as I was on a 9-year streak of no traffic violations and this thing happens to me 2 days before my interview. But alas, I violated the law and deserve this - I'm not going to make up any stupid excuses.

I haven't decided yet if I should pay the fine or try to sweeten it a bit by pleading not guilty on the ticket and going to court, but with regards to the interview:

1. I guess I have no choice but to mention it when the IO will ask if I've been detained by a police officer since submitting the application... :(

2. Can anyone tell me how this minor traffic citation that has not been resolved (haven't paid it yet), would affect the interview outcome? :confused::eek:

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
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What time is your interview? Perhaps you can pay the fine first thing in the morning and have the reciept ready for your interview.
 
copper1 said:
What time is your interview? Perhaps you can pay the fine first thing in the morning and have the reciept ready for your interview.
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the interview is scheduled for 9am and the INS center is almost 2 hrs away... don't think I can pay it anywhere at 7am. Plus, how can I have a receipt if the ticket (along with the payment) needs to be mailed? I've never paid for a ticket in person - always sent it by mail. How do you pay it in person? :confused:

nkm-oct23 said:
You have to receive the official citation in the mail in order to state that you have been cited.
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I'm not sure what you are referring to... I never received any citation by mail when I was stopped for moving traffic violations. As far as I know, the way it always works: the officer either hands you your ticket, or just lets you go... I have never received anything in the mail... :confused:
 
I'm not sure what you are referring to... I never received any citation by mail when I was stopped for moving traffic violations. As far as I know, the way it always works: the officer either hands you your ticket, or just lets you go... I have never received anything in the mail... :confused:
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The letter from court specifies the name of the court, amount to pay and date and time to appear if you decide to contest. I don't think the ticket written by the cop has these details. At least this is the way it works in California.
 
nkm-oct23 said:
The letter from court specifies the name of the court, amount to pay and date and time to appear if you decide to contest. I don't think the ticket written by the cop has these details. At least this is the way it works in California.
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In GA, VA, SC - it is written on the ticket by the cop.
 
In CT, there is nothing on the ticket other than details of the incident (driver's name, DL#, location of incident, nature of violation, etc.). Along with the ticket, I received an envelope addressed to "Centralized Infractions Bureau", and on the back of the envelope a set of insturctions read as follows:

1. Print your name, return address and complete Complaint Ticket No. on the front of this envelope in the space provided

2. Be sure you have signed the appropriate section on the back of the Complaint Ticket.

3. Insert Complaint Ticket into invelope. DO NOT FOLD COMPLAINT TICKET

4. If you are making payment, write the Complaint Ticket No. on your check or money order payable to the Cleark of the Superior Court and insert payment into the envelope. DO NOT SEND CASH
 
GhostRider said:
1. I guess I have no choice but to mention it when the IO will ask if I've been detained by a police officer since submitting the application... :(
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What if the IO did not mention "since submitting the application"? but
just rather repeat the same question on N-400?
 
Right now, I think it is not wise to dislcose traffic tickets in the first place.
Most people out there do not seem to disclose traffic tickets and never
get into trouble. You can act just as if you do not know traffic tickets
are offenses but rather like a fine on a overdue book
 
I second WBH.
Don't worry about and follow the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
You haven't been detained. That's (traffic ticket) not what they mean by that.
Just answer yes if you're specifically asked about traffic tickets (unlikely).
 
and what if you get a traffic ticket the day before oath? or on the same day on the way to the oath? My practical advice is forget about it. If you really get de-naturalized for it later, so be it.
 
I think when the IO will get to the "Have you have been arrested or detained..." question, I will just say: yes, with regards to my criminal arrest (a whole issue in itself that I have disclosed along with the application - dismissed btw) - that was the only time I was arrested. If the IO proceeds with something along the lines "And that's it? Anything else?" - I will just respond with "just a few small moving violations but I wasn't arrested for those".
 
sarrebal said:
I second WBH.
Don't worry about and follow the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
You haven't been detained. That's (traffic ticket) not what they mean by that.
Just answer yes if you're specifically asked about traffic tickets (unlikely).
Click to expand...

I guess dilemma may be that if you already dislcosed traffic ticket, you
have no reason not to disclode traffic tiget you got after submitting N400.
If you disclsoe post-submission ticket after the IO repeatedly ask and then
ask you why you did not mention it at first. if you answer I don't
know traffic ticket count then IO may say "You already disclose some
on your N-400"
 
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