DVcriminal

Hi everybody,

I did not find any topic with the similar content. Did anyone face a
situation when he used to visit the U.S. and have been arrested (for
anything: from failure to pay parking tickets up to shoplifting/theft), and
after that he won DV lottery and passed (or failed) the interview? That
information would be very helpful for me! Thank you in advance!

The ex-criminal who regrets about that issue very much.

ian-mstm

With all due respect, your regrets won't enter into the problem. What were the arrests for? What were the convictions for? What was the *maximum* penalty you could have received... even if you did not receive the maximum penalty? These are all important details that will help answer your question.

If you entered the US as a visitor and ticked "no" to the question of whether or not you have "ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude or a violation related to a controlled substance..." then you may have already sealed your fate.

Ian

DVcriminal

Thank you for your anwer. I am currently reside outside the U.S. and I have not visited the U.S. since my crime occured. I am not going to tell lie in the application because lifetime bar is not what I need.

In fact, I know everything about my case, what petty offence exception is, what conviction for immigration purposes is etc. I just want to find someone with similar experience, who have already passed or failed an inteview. I suppose with the help of such experience I would be able to figure out whether personal opinion of Immigration Officer in such cases could prevent me from obtaining immigrant visa.

If somebody has an experience to share - that will be more than appreciated!
Thank you in advance.

discoviking

Yeah, but we don't, and we are not mind readers. If you want meaningful comments on what is likely to happen at your visa interview, you will have to provide more information. Winning the DV lottery get you the interview in the first place, but once there I don't see how your visa interview is going to be significantly different than for anyone else applying for an immigrant visa as far as your criminal record making you inadmissible or not is concerned. You are either eligible for an immigrant visa, or you are not.

Unless I am missing something.

DVcriminal

In fact, I don't want those comments... I just want to hear few stories if there somebody on this forum who could tell me them... The stories about passing/failing the interview... That's the only thing I need.
Thank you anyway.

meauxna

I'm sorry, that is not the way it works, here anyway. I'd also caution you that that is a very poor way for you to do your research.

It seems you're going to hold to this position anyway, as you've posted around the net with the same no-facts. It would be much better for you if you simply posted what happened, where and what the outcome was.
You must declare it on your visa application and then explain the the officer what the outcome was.
Your interview will be the same as any other immigrant visa interview. How each candidate gets there (petition type) is irrelevant.

If it's 'just' shoplifting and tickets, believe me, people have done and posted worse here in the past.
If you won't post, use the search feature on the site and find the past posted experiences instead of hoping that someone in your exact situation is going to come by and find your thread AND be motivated to post in it.

crg

You: "Yeh, I have this problem with my car. Can it be fixed? Do you have any experience about how I should fix it? Will the car ever run again?"

Mechanic: "What's the problem with the car that you need fixed?"

You: "Yeh.... I don't want to get into all that. I just want to fix it. Why don't you just tell me all of the possible scenarios of what you have found wrong with other cars and explain to me what happened when you worked on the cars. Type it all out for me."

Frankly, I don't think people want to type their brains out with every possible outcome just because you won't ask a specific question. We like to help people with their immigration related questions. We don't like writing term papers and handbooks about vague topics when you could easily get to the point.

fatbrit

I passed a DV-based immigrant visa back in 2000 in a smaller European capital. The woman asked me if I'd ever visited the States before. I answered that I hadn't, and she said it would be quite an experience for me and she hoped I enjoyed it. She told me to come back after lunch to pick up the visa and we discussed good local places to eat lunch. After lunch, the visa was waiting for me as promised.

Did that help?

meauxna

Nope, sorry, that one doesn't count. You have to have visited the US before AND been arrested for anything. Unclear whether you must have been arrested in the US or elsewhere yet.

Ray

You never mentioned you used to be Jack McVitie then

fatbrit

I can neither confirm nor deny that fact. The OP doesn't want the nitty gritty details.

discoviking

I am willing to bet fatbrit was fully aware of the circumstances surrounding his case prior to the visa interview. That makes his experience somewhat relevant in my opinion.

ian-mstm

Since you're not going to lie, how could the interview experiences of others many any difference whatsoever? Either you'll get a visa or you won't.

Ian

DVcriminal

Thank you fatbrit, your story about passing an interview in 2000 in small European capital was reeeeeeaaally helpful Now I know everything I need.

The problem is I did not find anyone on the web who had at least similar situation. There are lots & lots of criminal guys, but they are mostly (99%) those who apply for I-485 in the States. Yes, basically that is the same as applying for immigrant visa from the outside of the U.S. But it seems for me that in fact there is a great difference in Immigration Officer's attitude to those who apply for DV-based visa in their countries and those who do it in the U.S. That is my personal opinion, which is based on dozens of stories in this matter. Generally, there is noone with criminal record who applies for DV-based visa and there are lots of those with records who apply for I-485.... So I will look like "rara avis" in comparison with them. Moreover, the majority of such successful criminal stories are employment-based stories of obtaining the green card, and as for me, I am just graduating the university soon. The people who have H1B are much more needed in the U.S. than criminals from abroad.

I posted this thread in order to hear hopefully something about such cases as mine. I do not post detailes due to security reasons, but generally I had only shoplifting, but not only one... a few. I was stupid. The good news is all those cases have been later dismissed. And it looks like I am not inadmissible, as my immigration attorney said. But I am not sure whether IO can deny me at his discretion just because he/she do not like me. That is what I am trying to find out. There were no convictions at all, but actually one of the cases was dismissed upon payment of fine.
Thank you for your replies.

ian-mstm

Sorry, but that's just wrong.


What is important is *NOT* the punishment (if any) that you received, but what the maximum penalty could have been. Did your attorney tell you that also? If he didn't, I suggest you get a new attorney.

Ian