Naturalization, Citizenship DWI Five year bar for citizenship?

[ronjon1980]

1. Is it true that there is a five year bar to apply for citizenship if one has a conviction of one DWI?

If so, does the five year bar start on:
a. Date of arrest ?
b. Date of conviction?
c. Date completion of probation?

 

[Michael Wechsler]

My understanding is that the five year problem you are talking about deals with two DWI arrests within five years or one with an aggravating factor. I don't think there is any specific bar to being accepted for citizenship with one arrest within five years. You can certainly understand it doesn't look good to an examiner if you were arrested in October and applying for citizenship soon thereafter. This is in addition to potentially being on a probationary period which may affect your entry.

Additionally, I don't know what kind of other factors might have been present during your DWI arrest. Texas itself, from what I understand, does not consider a bare DWI a crime of moral turpitude.