Lindenhurst, NY Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

An application for citizenship depends upon an individual's showing that he or she has good moral character for the required period of time. In most cases, the time required is five years prior to the filing of the application. If married to a US citizen and living together constantly, the period is three years as long as the US citizen spouse has been a US citizen for that time. If the misdemeanor is minor, you may still be able to show good moral character since that is determined by community standards. If the misdemeanor is considered a crime involving moral turpitude, you would have a much more difficult time passing a citizenship interview. In that case, you may decide to wait until five years or three years (depending on your situation) have elapsed since the misdemeanor before making the application. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.    

Filing a reentry permit is something that is always optional. However, it is definitely recommended if you were going to be outside United States for the period of time you have specified in your query. However, please note that having close ties to the United States to show that you have not relinquished your lawful permanent residence there is just as important. For example, it is recommended that you file US tax returns with US address on an annual basis. They should not be the nonimmigrant tax returns. Also, be sure to be receiving mail had a US address. It is also helpful if you have a deed or lease to property in the US. Also, bank account information and utility information is generally helpful. This information is provided to you as a courtesy and should not be construed as legal advice by our law firm.

The answer to your question depends on the conviction: some misdemeanor convictions do have serious immigration consequences, even if there was no imprisonment sentence.