Will a misdemeanor for grand theft affect my citizenship status? 7 Answers as of May 09, 2012

A theft conviction can be used a grounds for deportation if you are not a citizen of this country. Before this happens you will have a hearing on this. You need to hire a good immigration attorney to attend this hearing with you.

It certainly will, which is why you need to hire an attorney to expunge the conviction as soon as you are done with probation.

You really need to consult with an immigration lawyer. Grand theft (or any theft for that matter) is considered to be a crime of moral turpitude under immigration law. Any conviction for a crime of moral turpitude has potential to affect immigration status. Again, to get a more specific answer to your question, contact an immigration lawyer.

This is a question best answered by an immigration attorney but as far as I know a one time misdemeanor conviction should not be a problem. But PLEASE, ask an immigration atty as I am not an expert in this area.

Affect you? Yes. Whether it prevents getting citizenship is up to the govt and INS at the time you apply and go through your background check and approval process. You can contact them now and ask for their opinion, based on their rules as they are today. Also, some CA convictions can be 'expunged' from criminal records by proper application and Petition to the court, but ONLY IF there was no felony prison time sentenced whether served or not, and if it was not for certain listed sexual crimes, and if all terms of sentencing and at least one year of probation are completed, and if there are no new charges pending. Sounds like yours may qualify. If successful, the conviction would be withdrawn and the charges dismissed. Expungement does NOT clear, 'remove' or erase the conviction, but does change the record to show 'conviction reversed and dismissed by expungement'. Expungement will help in obtaining and keeping employment. When applying for a job in the private sector, in response to any question concerning your prior criminal record, you may deny that you were arrested or convicted of the offense. It may help in your INS process, by showing your desire to have a cleaner record.