N-400 application and traffic tickets

[giaigols]

Hi,

I have been a Green Card holder for 5 years now (obtained through my former tech employer several years ago), and I am looking to file a N-400 online.

During my time in the US, I was stopped by police officers exactly twice, which resulted in two tickets: the first one was a $180 speeding ticket, and the second one was a $500 carpool violation (where I live carpools are usually 2+ people, but this one was a 3+ people lane, and I didn't think of checking). Both tickets were paid on time and I also completed the traffic school. I never went to court.

The problem is, I lost all the official documentation, and I tried to call the two counties but they said they don't keep any records for minor citations that happened 3+ years ago (all the citations were issued between 3 and 5 years ago). After some digging, the only documentation I was able to find was:

- An email receipt showing the payment of the fine + traffic school for the first ticket (including case number)

- A copy of a cashed check showing the payment addressed to the county court for the second $500 traffic violation (including case number and signature of the country clerk)

- A 10 year driving record obtained from my DMV showing clean records

My first question is: will this documentation be enough? Or could the immigration officer cause me trouble for the lack of further documentation, and I should perhaps wait a few years before applying?

My second question is: there are 4 questions on the application related to "crimes", should I check YES for all of them or just number 23? In theory, all traffic issues are "offenses", so I should answer YES to all of them, but it seems scary.

22. Have you EVER committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were NOT arrested?

23. 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?

24. Have you EVER been charged with committing, attempting to commit, or assisting in committing a crime or offense?

25. Have you EVER been convicted of a crime or offense?

I would really appreciate the input of someone who went through this.

Thanks a lot!

[Joni8ritt67]

Giaigols, you are fretting too much. The questions are simple; have you committed a CRIME? If your traffic infarctions are criminally related then you can worry. A speeding ticket and your carpool mishandling are violations which you paid and were not incarcerated for but YES would be my answer, you were cited. Print your records of the incidents and take them with you to your interview JUST IN CASE.

I am not a lawyer and I do not give legal advice. This is my personal opinion.

[giaigols]

Giaigols, you are fretting too much. The questions are simple; have you committed a CRIME? If your traffic infarctions are criminally related then you can worry. A speeding ticket and your carpool mishandling are violations which you paid and were not incarcerated for but YES would be my answer, you were cited. Print your records of the incidents and take them with you to your interview JUST IN CASE.

I am not a lawyer and I do not give legal advice. This is my personal opinion.

Thank you for your reply, but the questions clearly state "crime or offense". So I think that my doubt about not knowing whether I should answer YES or NO to those questions is legitimate, especially with the current administration being more stringent when it comes to immigration procedures, and I'd appreciate the opinion of someone who has gone through the exact situation.

Thanks

[Joni8ritt67]

Thank you for your reply, but the questions clearly state "crime or offense". So I think that my doubt about not knowing whether I should answer YES or NO to those questions is legitimate, especially with the current administration being more stringent when it comes to immigration procedures, and I'd appreciate the opinion of someone who has gone through the exact situation.

Thanks

I did. You are welcome.

[pmf123]

I answered no, then it came up at the interview I had a few tickets... they only cared if I had any pending as this time.