How does criminal history affect Immigration? Moral Turpitude, Shoplifting, Retail Theft, and Immigration

As promised in my previous blog post, I wanted to offer a solution for some people accused of shoplifting or other similar crimes involving moral turpitude. If you haven’t seen that post, you can see it here.

So, if it is only your first time that you have been accused of this crime. Maybe you have been told that you are not considered “guilty” by the criminal court, but you have had to take some classes, etc. or pay some fine, or have some kind of a penalty for the crime, for immigration purposes, that is equivalent to guilt.

Luckily, it is pretty well-established in the law that 1 single offense of a crime involving moral turpitude that is a PETTY offense (the definition of this is very specific, so definitely contact a lawyer), can be considered as an exception to the ground of inadmissibility.

What does this mean for your immigration?

This means that if you only have one shoplifting charge for a small amount, and it is considered a petty offense, then an exception apply so you are not considered ineligible for benefits such as applying for a green card, naturalization, change of status, extension of status, any kind of visa, or during any entry to the US.   Generally, it is my recommendation that clients contact an attorney to get a written memo attesting to how their offense qualifies for this petty offense exemption and why it would not render them inadmissible to the United States.

If you or anyone you know has been in this position, contact us to book your consultation today by calling 312-854-7065.  Let us know your situation and we will be happy to evaluate if you will be helped by this memo.