Brit Bird

OK, So after living in the US for 8 years with our green cards, my husband & I have decided to take the final step and become US citizens. I'm looking at the application form and all appears straightforward apart from I had a traffic violation back in 2013 - running a red light (oops) -got a fine of $180.00. Do I need to declare this on the application? If yes then I no longer have the ticket the officer gave me. Will copies of the ticket be needed when I attend the interview? I don't want my application to be denied because a) I didn't declare it when I should have and b) I no longer have the paperwork for the offence.


Any guidance, would be greatly appreciated!


Also any thoughts on whether to put both applications in same envelope or should we mail the applications separately? Slightly paranoid questions I know, but I really don't want to mess this up.

Guindalf

I'm pretty sure that for all applications, traffic violations are not counted unless they become actual prosecutions. Also, the N400 is an application that the US government WANTS you to submit, so running a red light is highly unlikely to affect it!

You can truthfully answer No to the question 'Have you ever been arrested' (unless you have other things to declare!).

As for the application, I don't know a definitive answer, but my immediate thought is to send them in two envelopes, purely and simply because it is less likely to confuse someone!

Brit Bird

No that’s been my only run-in with the law. Thanks for your swift response. You have put my mind at rest!

Rete

To inner envelopes, one outer envelope, i.e. priority, trackable.

As for traffic tickets, you can put them down, if you wish, but won't need anything at the time of filing and if you want, you can always print out the DMV history for your driver's license to support the ticket.

Congratulations on making the decision to naturalize. It is the easiest process in all of USCIS schemes to do.

rbackhouse

The question on the form is :

"Have you EVER been arrested, cited, or detained by any law enforcement officer (including any immigration official or any official of the U.S. armed forces) for any reason?"

Any traffic ticket would be considered a citation so I would suggest putting it down.

When I did my N-400 a couple years back I put all my traffic ticket details on the form as much as I could remember them. (quite a few ). I didn't actually give them the tickets though. Had no effect on the application.

Mercury39

Does stopped by the police count as detained if the end result wasn’t a ticket? Got stopped speeding in a national park, please don’t judge me, but sent on my way after a talking too.

rpjs

No. You weren’t given a ticket so you weren’t “cited”. If you have an encounter with the police that ends in you being allowed to leave with no paperwork then you have nothing to declare. “Detained” means being arrested or otherwise taken into custody.

iarnell

There's still that overly broad question 22: "Have you EVER committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were NOT arrested?". Running a red light and speeding are both offences, so that question should be answered "yes". The form doesn't require you to provide additional information, though.

MidAtlantic

Be 100% honest and be ready to answer any questions about it. A minor traffic offence is not going to make the slightest difference.

kateinbrooklyn

Mentioning it upfront will not affect your application, but if you don't and they know about it, there is no coming back.

Rete

Honestly, this has got to be the most stupidest question ever placed on a questionnaire.

Is anyone really going to put down that on March 22, 1990, you ran a red light but were not caught. Or that you tried to vandalize your neighbor's property but the sprayer on the paint can didn't work so you gave up that pursuit. That is like a Catholic going to the confessional and saying: Forgive me Father for I have sinned. I had impure thoughts every day since my last confession.

If you weren't detained, cited or arrested for a crime, then who is to prove that you ran that red light or had a broken paint can and criminal thoughts?

Adnams

Ok so I've just been reading this thread and am panicing. I answered NO to the citation question on my N400 app. I did not realize that it included traffic tickets. I've only ever had one back in 2008. Nothing since that I can recall. How do I now handle this? Do I take any info I can find on this old speeding ticket to my interview on 11.14? It was in a different state with a different license? Tbh I don't think I have any historical info on the ticket. Will this invalidate my application?

iarnell

Absolutely! But the question is there and its answer is certified under penalty of perjury.

You're not asked to provide further details or evidence for that question - just answer yes or no. Presumably, it'll come up in the interview if you answer "yes", but you can hardly be expected to provide proof that you did something but weren't caught.

Isn't that what Catholics do anyway?

No-one's asking for proof - just an honest answer to a simple (but overly broad) yes/no question. But if proof were to turn up at some point in the future and you'd lied on that question, you may find yourself in a very expensive test case to determine whether or not it actually matters that you lied.

rpjs

As Ian of blessed memory would have said before he retired from these forums: USCIS officers are issued with special tools to deal with this sort of situation: red pens.

Mention it at the interview: if the officer decides they needs to know more, you’ll be give the opportunity to gather and send in documentstion before your application is finally approved but I very much doubt that will happen. You don’t sign the final application until the interview.

Adnams

Thanks thats reassuring!!