In order to meet the requirements for U.S. citizenship, you must prove good moral character for at least the five years of permanent residence leading up to your citizenship application. This can happen if the person committed offences during the process of obtaining his or her Canadian … She will still be the same person even if he managed to get another citizenship. In the United States, Donald Trump has created an entire denaturalization task force to strip US citizenship from those who had a criminal record before becoming citizens. Some crimes impose a permanent bar on citizenship, while others impose a temporary bar. It's not likely, but applying for naturalized citizenship with a criminal record could potentially jeopardize your permanent resident status. I think I might have to hire a lawyer to help. St. Lucia will only accept squeaky clean applicants for its citizenship by investment program. Although, it depends on the crime (s) they were convicted of or arrested for. When she gets out I would like here to come and live with me as a British citizen if possible. Citizenship isn’t nearly as significant a source of revenue for them as it is for other countries. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Not only do criminals pose a security risk, but granting citizenship to criminals can be political suicide. Some criminal records will prevent you from qualifying for U.S. citizenship, while others will have no effect on whether you qualify for U.S. citizenship. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Its a sensible way to start. Now that I am applying for citizenship, the instructions say I must provide record of the arrest as well as court certification of having the charges dismissed, but I cannot get these documents! You've already established she doesn't fulfil that criteria, marriage to you won't magic that away. One thing the government may do is evaluate how their laws match up with your country’s. I have a girlfriend from the USA and she has a criminal record, a serious one and she's still currently serving time. The more petty the offense was, the more likely you are to be eligible; The longer ago the offense was, the more likely you are to be eligible; and. If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. The fingerprints are processed by Interpol as part of a background check to prove you do not have a criminal history that would disqualify you from residency. She does have Irish family but I'm not sure if it was a grandparent or great grandparent. I'm not sure how strict they are concerning criminal records though, It's not as detailed on their website. You may have to deal with restricted international travel due to a criminal record. Submit your documents at a Costa Rican embassy or consulate in the U.S., which will authenticate and process them. Yes they check all government agencies that hold records such records includes, State and County Records, Nationwide Criminal Records, Over 300 Million Criminal Files, State Inmate Database, Sex Offender, Database Arrests, Convictions, Misdemeanors, Felonies and DUI's Neighbors and Relatives Marital Status and Aliases Death Index and Date of Birth Police Records Background Criminal Records. She fought with the person who helped her steal from the store. I'd be willing to get Irish citizenship if it would be easier for her to get citizenship there. Marriage to a British citizen isn't even a guarantee she'll be granted a spouse visa to join you in the UK - have you looked at the requirements for a spouse visa? A crime or other unlawful act on your record can block eligibility for naturalization. Even though Antigua’s government had no way to predict the man’s future crimes, do-gooders everywhere used it as an opportunity to decry “passports for sale”. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will check for criminal records for both the U.S. citizen or green card holder sponsoring his or her spouse, and the spouse applying to receive a green card. If you committed a serious crime like murder or rape, your chances are pretty bad, even if the crime happened decades ago. I went to the courthouse and they told me that once these records are sealed, I can't get any of the information, for citizenship purposes or otherwise. Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. When she gets out I would like here to come and live with me as a British citizen if possible. 1) Look into if she qualifies for Irish citizenship via her grandparents. orignial answer: Even if you manage to get her into the country on a visa - you can't get around one of the most simple requirements to be eligible for citizenship, the good character requirement. By Ilona Bray , J.D. Have the Certificate of Good Conduct validated by a Costa Rican embassy or consulate in the U.S. You can obtain a list of these through the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Relations or the U.S. State Department. There are second passport opportunities for those with a criminal history, although the list of options is certainly shorter as most countries range from asking if you’ve been convicted to doing an all-out due diligence check on your every civil and criminal infraction down to a parking ticket. If you have a DUI or driving while intoxicated charge, that may well be overlooked so long as it wasn’t yesterday and you aren’t a repeat offender.