Hi there! I apologize for the essay ahead.
I was previously a student in the U.S (Washington State ((2012 to late 2013)). Before I had to go back to Norway due to a family member getting sick.
While I was in Norway I worked at a grocery store. One day I forgot my wallet but took some grocery items with me home that I came back and paid for the next day. This was later caught on random inspection of the CCTV recordings. (At least that's what they told me). The police was contacted and I was fined $600 with the option of 10 days in jail instead of paying it.
In Washington State, from what I can understand, this would be considered "Theft in third degree" which is a gross misdemeanor and has a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and/or fines up to $5000.
While in Norway, where I was fined, the maximum prison penalty is 3 years. Worth noting here is that Norway does not have any law/paragraph that would give a maximum prison sentence of less than two years when it comes to "normal" theft.
When the time came for me to go back to the U.S I didn't want to lie on the F1-visa application and told them I had been convicted of a crime, but when I came to the embassy for my interview I had forgotten to bring a police report. This meant I was unable to explain myself as I was simply told to send the police report via mail. I feel like this didn't help my case at all.
So my question is; If I am to reapply for a F1-visa this summer, what are the odds that they'll change it from a crime of moral turpitude to a petty offense? And if there's no chance of that happening, what would be the next step for me? Should I file a non-immigrant waiver of inadmissibility? I'd hate for my future in the U.S to be ruined by a moment of lack of judgement.
Additional notes: This is my first ever offense, it happened in early 2014. I applied for a new F1 visa in December of 2015.
I was previously a student in the U.S (Washington State ((2012 to late 2013)). Before I had to go back to Norway due to a family member getting sick.
While I was in Norway I worked at a grocery store. One day I forgot my wallet but took some grocery items with me home that I came back and paid for the next day. This was later caught on random inspection of the CCTV recordings. (At least that's what they told me). The police was contacted and I was fined $600 with the option of 10 days in jail instead of paying it.
In Washington State, from what I can understand, this would be considered "Theft in third degree" which is a gross misdemeanor and has a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and/or fines up to $5000.
While in Norway, where I was fined, the maximum prison penalty is 3 years. Worth noting here is that Norway does not have any law/paragraph that would give a maximum prison sentence of less than two years when it comes to "normal" theft.
When the time came for me to go back to the U.S I didn't want to lie on the F1-visa application and told them I had been convicted of a crime, but when I came to the embassy for my interview I had forgotten to bring a police report. This meant I was unable to explain myself as I was simply told to send the police report via mail. I feel like this didn't help my case at all.
So my question is; If I am to reapply for a F1-visa this summer, what are the odds that they'll change it from a crime of moral turpitude to a petty offense? And if there's no chance of that happening, what would be the next step for me? Should I file a non-immigrant waiver of inadmissibility? I'd hate for my future in the U.S to be ruined by a moment of lack of judgement.
Additional notes: This is my first ever offense, it happened in early 2014. I applied for a new F1 visa in December of 2015.
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