H1B Renewal with Arrest Record

[speedysingh]

Hi.

I have my H1B renewal upcoming soon, and will have to travel to India for stamping.
Unfortunately, I have an arrest on record for a speeding incident, where the court dropped charges to "Careless Driving" (a traffic violation, not a crime) and imposed only a fine.
Of course, I will disclose the incident, but how does it impact the visa renewal?

Can I get denied the H1B renewal due to this record?

Thanks

[Mogu]

I've read past experience of people getting visas despite having a driving-related arrest. It won't necessarily derail your visa renewal. However, you should be mindful that it does have potential to do so. These days they are scrutinizing applicants a lot more.

So, make sure you prepare to answer questions about it from every angle you can think of. Practice in advance since it is near certain you will be asked about it. You could say "I was charged with the traffic violation of careless driving and a fine was imposed". Be 100% truthful but no need to discuss potential higher order charges which never materialized.

Also, to state the obvious, this is just my own opinion and I'm not an attorney.

[h1bvks]

speedysingh Can you please update me on your stamping, did you face a problem during stamping? I am in the same boat...