If my case was dismissed, will that charge be a problem at the port of entry of my country? 6 Answers as of October 19, 2011

Yes, the arrest can show up. Even if you plead not guilty and the case was dismissed, the USCIS officer can question you about the facts of the incident. You say in this post that you were "helping a friend in a store", this sounds like unauthorized employment, a violation of your F-1 status.

Unfortunately, any time a person has a criminal arrest, it can become an issue. You will most likely be subjected to secondary inspection upon re-entering the United States. From what you have told me, the fact that the charges were dismissed will likely mean you the criminal matter will not bar your entry. It would be in your best interests to obtain a certificate of disposition from the court. This will be an official sealed document you can present to border control to show the case was dismissed. However, you may have issues if border control concludes you violated the terms of your F1 non-immigrant visa. An F1 visa holder is not supposed to work in the United States unless specifically authorized. Depending upon the information in the criminal record, you could be found to have violated your visa and denied entry or otherwise, have the visa revoked.

Bring a copy of the dismissal with you proving that you tried the case and were found not guilty.

You would have to ask an attorney in your home country, but my guess is that it is altogether irrelevant since the charges were dismissed. Therefore you have no conviction of any kind.

You should have no problem returning if you plead not guilty and the case was dismissed.

If the charge was dropped, you do not have any issue. If you plead not guilty but was convicted, you have a criminal record. Fortunately, your conviction is not serious enough to render you inadmissible based on the limited information you provided. The best way to deal with this issue is to consult with an immigration lawyer in your area to determine if your conviction would render you inadmissible.