You’ve been planning to move to the U.S. permanently for some time now, and this dream is finally coming to fruition. First, you must satisfy a number of requirements.
One term that you keep hearing is that you need to be a person of “good moral character.” Before your application for residency is accepted, you will need to show that this term applies to you. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will typically look at your conduct over the last five years, and in some cases, they will go beyond this.
Essentially, “good moral character” means that you are a law-abiding person, who works hard and is willing to pay taxes. However, there are a number of factors that may exclude you from this qualification.
Crimes of moral turpitude
If you have a conviction for a crime of moral turpitude, then you will not satisfy the “good moral character requirement.” Crimes of this nature are considered to be very serious, and they must have been carried out with reckless abandon and disregard for the safety of others. These are crimes that wider society would deem to be reprehensible. For example, murder, serious sexual offenses, armed robbery and the most severe financial crimes could be considered to be of moral turpitude.
Some crimes may not affect you
Everyone makes mistakes, and if you’ve learned from them, you shouldn’t be punished indefinitely. If you committed an offense more than five years ago that is not considered to be a crime of moral turpitude, then your application could still be successful.
The only way to ensure the most favorable outcome in your immigration application is to seek guidance from a knowledgeable support network. Doing this will give you the best chance of starting your new life in the U.S.