traffic citation question

[LoveLove 0]

Hello,

I have searched and searched and came to the conclusion I should say Yes to the Part10 D question #16 have you even been arrested, cited or detained.. ?

My question is, I had two traffic tickets.

One was careless driving when I lost the control of my car due to the wet road. I went to court and I got the deal, I pleded guilty for defective headlight instead of careless driving.

so should I list the citation as careless driving? or defective headlights?

Do I need to explain what happened? Do I need to put the date when I got the ticket?

Please help me, I'm all confused here.

Thank you so much!

[cookiee 0]

you don't need to list any of them unless fine is $ 500 and up

[atk_721 0]

Dont mention it.If u feel ,it can come up in interview,just take all the relevant doc with u.

[MsAnn 0]

Do you still have the court papers? I would put "see attachment" or something similar and attach an explanation. If you don't remember the date just approximate and put "to the best of my recollection".

[KyngSilva 0]

LOL ...here we go again....So before this thread gets out of hand like it did the last time =) Here's the scoop

1. Some of us on here believe that it is in your best interest to put down YES, since getting a ticket is a citation regardless of the value. Your trying to show good moral character and your being up front and honest and not hiding anything. Plus it does not hurt your application. Same question shows up on your oath form, and while I was in line this young lady walked up to an I/O and asked him a question...She stated that since her interview she had been cited for speeding and that her ticket was 125 dollars....SO she asked him does she need to check yes on the box. He looked at her and stated a ticket is a citation and if he was her, he would check yes on the box. He also told her that it's not a big deal and that it wont stop her from getting her citizenship.

2. Some others on here, as you can see state no, you don;t have to report it since it's below the 500 dollar limit and some have even spoken to the customer service lines and they have stated don't include it, or somebody has laughed at them when they asked about it.

So bottom line...it's your choice what you want to do..add it or not. To answer your question..I would put careless driving, and attach an explanation of what happened. Put as much info as you can. It's not so much the ticket, or the careless driving..they want to see if there is a pattern of this. Your trying to show them that your a person of good moral character, and by explaining this to them your being honest. Good luck on your journey.

Edited May 4, 2009 by KyngSilva

[Stella08 0]

KyngSilva

Good Post!!!

[lucyrich 20]

There's no downside at all to listing something they're not really interested in. There's a huge downside to omitting something they might find interesting.

As to how to explain it, I'd attach a sheet that basically says what you said here. "I was charged with careless driving. I went to court and I pled guilty for defective headlight instead of careless driving. The careless driving charge was dropped".

[warlord 73]

There's no downside at all to listing something they're not really interested in. There's a huge downside to omitting something they might find interesting.

As to how to explain it, I'd attach a sheet that basically says what you said here. "I was charged with careless driving. I went to court and I pled guilty for defective headlight instead of careless driving. The careless driving charge was dropped".

Actually the big downside is they will many times state that since you mentioned it you now have to show proof. So that mean having to re-trace your steps, contact the dmv's for history of the tickets which many people are finding can be quite time consuming.

If you don't mention them there is no downside, the only thing that possibly might happen is they will want proof as well. This doesn't happen that often, but those disclosing tickets seem to have that occur a lot more.

IO's and the USCIS both state you do not have to disclose them....

[tallcoolone 102]

There's no downside at all to listing something they're not really interested in. There's a huge downside to omitting something they might find interesting.

As to how to explain it, I'd attach a sheet that basically says what you said here. "I was charged with careless driving. I went to court and I pled guilty for defective headlight instead of careless driving. The careless driving charge was dropped".

Actually the big downside is they will many times state that since you mentioned it you now have to show proof. So that mean having to re-trace your steps, contact the dmv's for history of the tickets which many people are finding can be quite time consuming.

If you don't mention them there is no downside, the only thing that possibly might happen is they will want proof as well. This doesn't happen that often, but those disclosing tickets seem to have that occur a lot more.

IO's and the USCIS both state you do not have to disclose them....

Great Post

[baron555 934]

have you even been arrested, cited or detained

You answered your own question. You were never arrested or detained (meaning taken to the police department). You were cited but if the fine amount was less than $500 then nothing to state.

If the fine was more than $500, then you state what is on the official record, defective headlight.

[jsnearline 2]

IO's and the USCIS both state you do not have to disclose them....

The Guide to Naturalization says you don't have to provide documentation for traffic violations that are not drug or alcohol related and have a penalty of less than $500 and/or points. That's not the same as saying you don't have to disclose such violations on the application itself.

We declared the charge as shown on the driving record. If asked at the interview, my wife will tell them it was reduced to Defective or Unsafe Vehicle from Speeding 10 - 19 Over Limit.

[Italian_in_NYC 259]

IO's and the USCIS both state you do not have to disclose them....

The Guide to Naturalization says you don't have to provide documentation for traffic violations that are not drug or alcohol related and have a penalty of less than $500 and/or points. That's not the same as saying you don't have to disclose such violations on the application itself.

We declared the charge as shown on the driving record. If asked at the interview, my wife will tell them it was reduced to Defective or Unsafe Vehicle from Speeding 10 - 19 Over Limit.

I asked this question to an IO at least 5/6 times.

They said that the instructions are poorly written and that they don't care about traffic tickets, unless they led to an arrest.

[jsnearline 2]

Given the choice between the written instructions and a verbal assurance from an IO, I'd go with what's in writing - unless the IO can produce something in writing to back up what they said. I've asked for guidance in writing before when I've gotten questionable information at an INFOPASS and they refused to give it.

[Italian_in_NYC 259]

My question is: why are we being so paranoid about it?

Let's use a little common sense. They do not care about traffic tickets that are less than $500 and are not alcohol-related.

Yes, they could have written the instructions much better, but let's not freak out over this. Why would they care anyways?

On the contrary, checking the "yes" box automatically raises eyebrows and there's always a chance of meeting the new/overzealant/annoyed/annoying officer that could delay your case by months.

And if we think we could be denaturalized for not having declared a traffic ticket in the remote future, then yes, I think it's being paranoid.

Just my opinion, anybody could write whatever he/she wants on his/her N-400.

[jasminelily 1]

Here we go again! Popcorn popping in the microwave.

One more time, it's up to one's wish to disclose traffic/parking ticket or not. There is no winning/losing by being able/not able to convince each stand otherwise. I'm sure the risks/disadvantages of both sides had already been clearly elaborated. We should leave it up to the OP's decision.