Q: What should I do? Would this case affect the renewal of my F-1 student visa?
Hello,
I'm an international student F-1 visa holder. Back in 2015 I got 5 tickets suspended registration, unlicensed drivers ( I use my international driving license), no stop lamps, no insurance, and operating suspended vehicle. I didn't show up in court in April 2015. In February 2016 I started to straighten things up. I paid $60 for each ticket and gave a new court date, and 4 months not to get a new registration. I showed up and the Judge told me to hire a lawyer and gave me a new court date July 2016. June 2016 I got a new registration and fixed the stop lamp. I left the country due to personal circumstances. Now I want to go back and finish my study but I will need to renew my F-1 student visa. I believe I have an arrest warrant and I'm afraid that thist problem may affect the renewal of my visa.
A: The allegation of being an unlicensed driver is a criminal misdemeanor, that's why the Judge told you to come back to court with a lawyer. When you didn't return in July, the court would have issued a bench warrant for your arrest. This will be an obstacle to the issuance of your visa to return. Nevertheless, there are things that can be done in your absence. Please contact my office directly for further details.
1 user found this answer helpful
A: if you have an arrest warrant then yes it may effect your renewed. Any violation of the law is a violation of the terms of the visa. A citation would not effect your visa but multiple violations and failure to take care of them may effect your renewed.
David Dastrup agrees with this answer
A: Hire an experienced traffic/criminal attorney in your area to clean up the warrant and resolve this case favorably. Most importantly, you do not want the warrant. However, the misdemeanor is serious, too, but a good attorney can probably help you clean that up, too.
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